Kelly slams School Building Programme
Only one North Tipp school receives funding
As part of the National Development Plan the Government has announced that 105 schools are going to progress to tender and/or construction, as appropriate, over the course of 2026 and 2027. Tipperary TD, Alan Kelly, pointed out that only one school in Tipperary has received funding.
He said: “While funding for St Anne’s Special School in Roscrea is very welcome, I am absolutely astonished that it is the only school in North Tipperary to receive funding from this Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael/Independent Government. Ten schools are getting investment in Galway, the home county of the Minister for Education.
“I’m disgusted that Coláiste Phobal in Roscrea, the only secondary school in the town serving such a wide catchment is not on this list. They have been on a capital plan over a decade, received confirmation they were getting a new school in 2021, have gone for planning for provision of a new replacement 800 student Post Primary School with four Class SEN Base on an existing site but are still not on this list.
“Furthermore, Coláiste Mhuire in Thurles isn’t listed for investment either. They have approval to build seven mainstream classrooms, one Music Room, two Multimedia rooms, two x Science Labs and Preparation, one x Art Room, one HSCL, eight Tuition rooms, two x SEN Base as well as approval for modular accommodation for a range of other facilities. The current building is 40 years old and is not fit for purpose. The management of the school have been managing roof leaks and problems with suspended ceilings for years. The entire building is in poor condition and there are serious concerns about health and safety. The school is growing in enrolment, yet they have been ignored by this Government.
“Newport College has planning approval received for its development. The planned construction is a mix of one, two and three-storey buildings with a total floor area of 3,508m² over more than 20 rooms. It will include 13 classrooms, eight specialist classrooms, one SET room, a two-classroom SEN unit with direct access to own outdoor play area and sensory garden. Newport is one of the fastest growing areas in the Midwest and has very diverse needs. These needs won’t be met in this round of funding by this Government. Nenagh Community National School has approval for three classrooms, staff and children’s toilets and to reconfigure other rooms for special education and tuition rooms with the demolition of the GP surgery next door that they purchased. The school does not know where it’s going to put some of its students in the next school calendar year, yet the Government believed it shouldn’t be prioritised this time around. All of these projects and more didn’t receive funding from this Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael/Independent Government. These four that I have highlighted are particularly concerning and wrong as there is a huge urgency around them all and because of this lack of investment students and staff will be impacted negatively for years to come. It’s clearly obvious that North Tipperary isn’t a political priority, and we have to wait while other areas receive substantial funding. It’s utterly disgraceful.”