MINISTER FOR Education Mary Coughlan has unveiled plans for six schools, which will provide places for close to 5,000 pupils.
The contract for the provision of the schools under a public private partnership programme (PPP) was signed yesterday.
The schools will be designed, built, financed and maintained for 25 years by the private company involved, Macquarie Partnerships for Ireland.
The six schools, which will be available by the end of next year, are:
Bantry Community College, Co Cork. An amalgamation of St Goban’s College and Ard Scoil Phobail to provide 700 pupil places.
Gaelscoil Bheanntraí, Co Cork. A new eight-classroom primary school to provide permanent accommodation for the Gaelscoil established in 1994 and provides 200 pupil places.
Kildare Town Community School, Co Kildare. An amalgamation of St Joseph’s Academy, Presentation Secondary School and Vocational School to provide 1,000 pupil places.
Abbeyfeale Community College, Co Limerick. An amalgamation of St Ita’s College, St Joseph’s Secondary School and Vocational School to provide 850 pupil places.
Wicklow Town Community College, Co Wicklow. An amalgamation of Abbey Vocational School and De La Salle Secondary School to provide 1,000 places.
Athboy Community School, Co Meath. An amalgamation of St Joseph’s Secondary School and St James’s Vocational School to provide 950 pupil places.
Ms Coughlan said staff and students in all six schools could look forward to using the most up-to-date designs and facilities.
“The PPP model allows the schools’ management and staff to concentrate on their core educational duties and it is a particularly attractive feature of the process.’’
