Laois-Offaly the big winner in Minister Quinn’s historic schools building programme

Issued : Monday 12 March, 2012

7 new primary schools for Portlaoise

School building blitz will rid playgrounds of costly rented prefabs

Tullamore College to be finally rebuilt

Laois/Offaly is deservedly one of the big winners in Minister Ruairi Quinn’s multi-million euro school building programme. 16 new schools and major extensions are to be built across the constituency in the biggest ever school building blitz in the history of the country.

I am delighted that the Minister and his officials recognised the urgency, need and merit for these new schools and school developments in our community - which has been severely neglected over the years - particularly in the area of primary schools in the large towns across Laois/Offaly. While the area has seen an unprecedented population boom the provision of primary schools in particular did not keep pace with the influx of new young families into the community over the past decade. This had led to the appalling scenario of more than half the children in Portlaoise attending schools in ramshackle rented prefabs.

The highlights of the historic school building programme for Laois/Offaly include:

• 7 new primary schools for Portlaoise
• Tullamore College - which was practically destroyed by fire 10 years ago - to be rebuilt
• 3 new school extensions for Portarlington
• 2 new primary schools for Edenderry and an extension for Oaklands Community College
• New primary school for Ballylinan to get under construction immediately
• 16 new schools and major extensions in total for Laois-Offaly
• The programme includes 2 new Gaeilscoileanna and 2 Educate Together National Schools

There is also an extension approved for St Mary's, Knockbeg. A new school has also been sanctioned for my old alma mater, St Paul's Secondary School, Monasterevin, in which I did my Leaving Cert in 1978.

The amalgamation of the primary schools in Ballyroan has also been put out for design tender on February 29th.

There are 16 new schools and major extensions in total across Laois-Offaly approved in the Govt. €2 billion 2012-2016 Programme.
This is separate from the €35m initiative announced last week to remove costly rented prefabs from schools. Schools in Oxmanstown, Rath (Ballybrittas); The Heath, St Joseph's GNS, Mountmellick and St Peter's BNS, Monasterevin are included in this initiative to replace these pre-fabs with permanent buildings. This itself reflects and underlines the commitment Ruairi Quinn, Labour and this Government have to small rural schools.

All in all this biggest ever schools building programme in Laois-Offaly and across the country will provide vital and long overdue state-of-the-art schools for our children especially in primary schools which have often been the poor relation of the education sector; replace unsuitable and costly pre-fabs; provide thousands of construction jobs through this investment in vital schools infrastructure.

The 7 new primary schools for Portlaoise which are to go to construction without delay are to replace the existing parish schools – St Paul’s CBS, Sacred Heart and Scoil Mhuire – as well as providing permanent new school accommodation for Portlaoise Educate Together NS, Gaelscoil Phortlaoise and Maryborough NS.

The pupils, parents, principals and Boards of Managements of these schools have battled long and hard for this crucial investment in their children's education and basic infrastructure in our towns and they are to be commended for their commitment and perseverance. I am delighted that Minister Ruairi Quinn has included 16 new schools and major extensions for Laois-Offaly in this biggest ever schools building programme in the history of the State. I was glad to help in some small way by supporting these submissions and applications on the merit of their case.

No other towns like Portlaoise, Edenderry, Portarlington and Tullamore have witnessed such a population explosion over the past 10 years and until now the schools building programme has not kept pace with the housing boom and influx of young families. Primary schools have not been built in tandem or in time for many families and children who have been forced to spent their entire school experience in pre-fabs.

Minister Ruairi Quinn has been good to his word and prioritised school building on merit and addressed the neglect of primary schools which until now have very often been the poor relation in the education system. In many of these schools prefabs had taken over the playgrounds. These Third World conditions in some of our primary schools was nothing short of a scandal and the delays experienced an absolute disgrace. In Portlaoise we have prefabs bursting at the seams; children of school-going age being turned away for enrolment due to the lack of places; double-decker pre-fabs at bursting point and children going to school in the same pre-fabs in which their own parents attended for their entire school going life. This scandalous situation will now all brought to an end and I am grateful to Minister Ruairi Quinn for the determination and resolve he has brought to his remit in Education.

I also want to congratulate and commend the dedication of the parents, principals and Boards of Management in these schools who have stuck to their task through thick and thin and persisted when others might have given up against the inordinate delays and obstacles. I am thrilled for them and while this applies to all the schools on the list I particularly have in mind Father John Byrne PP in Portlaoise; Mr Ted Laffey and his staff at Scoil Bhride, Lnockmay and Mr Edward Mc Evoy the Principal of Tullamore College for the dedication and determination he and his team have displayed in the face of inexplicable delays to restore their school which was burnt down ten years ago. Their professionalism and commitment is measured by the great respect in which the school is held and the manner in which they maintained and grew their enrolment in such adverse conditions and circumstances.

Today is a good day for Laois-Offaly and I am delighted and thrilled for all the schools involved in finally getting the investment they deserve, so that the children in these towns can go to school in modern classrooms and enjoy the state-of-the-art facilities and educational environment they are entitled to expect