Stormont's Education Minister has announced that 28 schools in Northern Ireland will benefit from investment worth a total of £794 million.
Making the announcement in the Assembly, Michelle McIlveen said the investment is essential to ensure "young people can achieve their full potential" in "modern, fit-for-purpose schools."
The investment will be used for projects such as new buildings, the extension and refurbishment of existing school buildings, or a programme of smaller scale minor capital works.
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The Education Minister added that construction spend on the projects will not be realised until the end of this decade at the earliest.
It's expected the investment will benefit 25,000 pupils at schools across Northern Ireland.
Minister McIlveen said: "I have visited many schools and witnessed first-hand not only the tremendous work that takes place in each and every school, but also the need for an appropriate level of investment in the fabric of our schools, whether this is a new building, the extension and refurbishment of existing school buildings, or through a programme of smaller scale minor capital works.
"Such investment is essential to provide the first class educational experience our pupils, staff and wider school communities both deserve and need to ensure our young people can achieve their full potential.
"As Minister for Education, and within Budget constraints, it is my responsibility to ensure that this essential capital investment is facilitated as far as possible. So my announcement today will permit a further programme of major works to advance in planning and support the delivery of modern, fit-for-purpose schools.
"Whilst construction spend on the projects I will soon announce will not be realised until the end of this decade at the earliest, making this announcement today will ensure a steady pipeline of projects in design which will in turn ensure the continued modernisation of the schools’ estate into the future.
"I am today announcing that twenty eight schools are to Advance in Planning under the Major Capital Works Programme. These schools will benefit from a capital investment in the region of £794m, with deliverability subject to the level of capital resources available to the Department towards the end of this decade and into the next."
The schools involved in the scheme are:
- Ballyclare High School
- Ballyclare Secondary School
- Ballymena Academy
- Belfast High School
- Cambridge House, Ballymena
- Carrickfergus Academy
- Dean Maguirc College
- Dromore High School
- Edmund Rice College, Newtownabbey
- Friends' School Lisburn
- Hunterhouse College, Belfast
- Killicomaine Junior High School
- Larne Grammar
- Larne High School
- Lisnagarvey High School, Lisburn
- Loreto College, Coleraine
- Lumen Christi College, Londonderry
- Malone Integrated College, Belfast
- Mercy College, Belfast
- Portadown College
- Sperrin Integrated College, Magherafelt
- St Brigid's College, Londonderry
- St Catherine's College, Armagh
- St Ciaran's College, Dungannon
- St Joseph's College, Belfast
- St Louise's Comprehensive College, Belfast
- St Paul's High School, Newry
- St Pius X College, Magherafelt
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