Last week the Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe announced that refurbishment work at Nenagh Vocational School can now go to tender and construction.
Other school projects authorised to prepare tender documents include Borrisokane Vocational School, Ursuline Convent, Thurles and Scoil Mhuire Presentations Secondary School, Thurles. The Sacred Heart Convent in Roscrea has been authorised to appoint a design team in quarter three.
North Tipperary Deputy Noel Coonan has welcomed the recent announcement but said there is long way to go with 36 schools still waiting for their projects to advance.
He stated:
“There are 41 schools in North Tipperary that have made applications for major capital building works to the Department of Education. Five of these projects will now advance to the next stage as announced by Minister Batt O’Keeffe but it is my role in opposition to highlight the needs of the remaining schools and ensure Government Deputies in North Tipperary honour commitments made. The urgency of the situation cannot be underestimated with only five out of 41 schools, or 12%, moving to the next stage in North Tipperary. With new applications continuously being submitted to the Department of Education, this Government has a long way to go and supporting Deputies should not be blowing their own trumpets just yet.
I am continuously submitting parliamentary questions to the Minister for Educations to find out when local school projects will be advanced. In return the Minister replies that ‘in view of the level of demand on the Department’s capital budget, it is not possible to give an indicative time frame for the progression of individual school projects at this time’. This reply is unacceptable when it is the education of the children of our nation that is suffering. “
Individual school projects fall under four band ratings, each of which describes the extent of accommodation required and the urgency attaching to it.
Band One has the highest priority rating and Band Four has the lowest rating.
Boher NS Ballina, St.Anne’s Special School, Roscrea and Templemore NS, are of high priority with a band rating of One. These schools have applied for extension and refurbishment works with Boher NS urgently waiting on a Special Needs Unit.
Meanwhile, 22 North Tipperary schools are in the Band Two rating. Some of the schools waiting include Our Lady’s Secondary School, Templemore which is in early architectural planning for an extension, Scoil Ruaine, Killenaule which has an application for a PE Hall and Cloughjordan No 1 NS which has an application for refurbishment works. St.Joseph’s College in Newport have made an application for an extension and it too has been waiting patiently.
Seven projects have a band rating of Three and three projects have a band rating of Four.
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