Fianna Fail TD, Barry Cowen.

Cowen 'hopeful' new Oaklands school will proceed

The project brief for a replacement school at Oakland Community College in Edenderry is being prepared by the Department of Education.

Responding to a parliamentary question by Deputy Barry Cowen on how the project is progressing, the Minister for Education Joe McHugh stated that “the department is currently finalising the project brief and this is expected to be completed shortly”.

A new school building for the community college is on the department's capital programme.

Speaking this week, Deputy Cowen said that he is “hopeful” that project will proceed.

"At the moment we have the awful situation whereby there are 770 students in a school where the permanent structure only caters for around 300. Students, parents and teachers are eager that this project get moving as quickly as possible.

"The former Minister for Education, on his visit to Edenderry on the 4th of May, gave a commitment to progress the application. In his response to my Parliamentary Question the new Minister reiterated that the project is included in the Department Capital Programme and that his Department is currently finalising the project brief and that it is expected to be completed shortly. I will continue to impress upon Minister McHugh the urgency of this project," concluded Deputy Cowen.