Next phase of public private partnership school building plan announced

The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., today announced details of the schools that are to be delivered in Bundle 5 of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) school building programme.

An existing primary school, St Philomena’s National School in Bray, Co. Wicklow and three post- primary schools, Eureka Secondary School in Kells, Co. Meath, Coláiste Raithín in Bray, Co. Wicklow, andLoreto College in Wexford, will get new school buildings under this new bundle.

A VEC college in Carlow town currently providing Post-Leaving Certificate courses and mainstream second-level education will be replaced with two new institutions. The joint campus will comprise a post-primary school and a further education college, each catering for 1,000 students.

The projects, due to be completed by the end of 2016, will see some 4,650 students benefit from state of the art classrooms and facilities. Local communities will also benefit, as many schools make their grounds and buildings available for a range of community activities.

It is expected that approximately 750 jobs in construction will be created.

Minister Quinn said, “These school building projects which will give an important boost to employment in the construction industry and have knock-on benefits to the local communities.

“The PPP model, through which the private sector bears the initial cost of building projects, strengthens our capacity to deliver much needed school places at a time of financial difficulty.

“I am confident that these developments will serve students and communities for many years to come.”

Part of the Government’s Economic Stimulus Package announced by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin T.D., in July 2012, Bundle 5 has a total indicative value of €50-€60 million.