Published: Friday, 19th February, 2010 6:00pm

Two Offaly schools lose out on new building hopes

Two Offaly schools hoping to be included on the new school construction list were disappointed this week after simply being included in the programme for extension and refurbishment works.

Design teams will be appointed for the extension and refurbishment works for both Scoil Mhuire NS, Tullamore and Tullamore College in the second quarter of this year, but both schools had been hoping to be included on the new school construction list.

However, there was good news for two other Offaly schools as the Department of Education unveiled its school building programme for this year.

A new school for St Joseph's NS, Ballinagar, will go to tender and construction stage this year, while Crinkle NS, Birr, will begin extension and refurbishment works.

But the long wait continues for Tullamore College, which was expecting the announcement of a new school this year, after going to design stage in March 2009. And Minister O'Keeffe last year heard of Scoil Mhuire's need for a bigger school.

Fine Gael Deputy Olwyn Enright welcomed the news for Ballinagar and Crinkle, but said that overall the announcement was disappointing and there was a "real failure" by the Government to address the lack of second level places throughout the county.

"I wonder how long the Department of Education expects Tullamore College to last in prefabs? It's annoying because their hopes were up for the last fortnight and now it's another waiting game. And even what's been announced has no guarantees," she said yesterday (Thursday).

She said that both Sacred Heart Secondary School and Coláiste Choilm will have to provide temporary accommodation next September to cope with the increasing number of pupils.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen described the announcement by Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe as "significant process" for the school building programme in Offaly this year.

"From a local perspective I know the importance attached to the need to improve our school facilities while at national level I also clearly see the need to further invest in the productive sector of the economy, which in the short term provides planning, design and construction work, and in the medium term provides schoolchildren and teachers with the best educational environment in which to work," he said.

Chairman of Offaly County Council Noel Bourke welcomed the new school announcement for Ballinagar.

"I have been assisting the school authorities in campaigning for this for some time and was part of a deputation to the Minister for Education on this project last year," said Cllr Bourke. "I wish to compliment the Chairman and members of the Board of Management of the school, the school principal and the parents for their work in the progress made on this matter."

A total of 52 school building projects were announced on Tuesday at a cost of over €579 million.

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