The Government is to announce plans to invest €11.9bn in education over the next ten years.
It is latest promise to be promoted as part of Project Ireland 2040.
The money is to be used to build new schools and modernise existing ones.
The plan includes a 70% increase in schools capital funding compared to the past decade – and promises to double investment again by 2027.
It aims to come close to trebling the budget for the higher education sector compared to the last decade.
Taoiseach & Ministers Announce €11.9 billion Investment in Education as part of Project Ireland 2040 #BestinEurope #ProjectIreland2040 https://t.co/MFMCgkso2E
— education.ie (@Education_Ire) September 14, 2018
The plan aims to end the long term use of school prefabs by 2021 and commits to ensuring that all secondary schools are provided with access to state of the art sport and PE halls.
The Government says the plan will also see science labs modernised.
In the short-term the government says that 600 prefabs will be replaced - ending the long term use of prefabs by 2021.
Announcing the plan, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said Project Ireland takes a “much longer term view” and “links investment with planning for the first time ever.”
“I am particularly pleased that we’ll be investing in PE halls – modernising old ones and building new ones – to ensure all post primary students can use state of the art PE facilities,” he said.
“This ambitious and unprecedented level of investment – almost €12 billion – in our education sector will ensure this generation of children and the next get the best possible start in life.”
The Government’s rolling announcements of Project 2040 plans have been criticised by opposition parties – who are calling for investment to be delivered rather than promised.
This morning Fianna Fáil education spokesperson Thomas Byrne warned that the government’s “record of delivery doesn't stand a moment's scrutiny.”
He noted that they are “announcing today a programme of PE Halls starting in 2023 and no word of the 42 schools announced” on April 13th.
Education Minister Richard Bruton announced plans to build the schools, largely in Dublin or the commuter belt counties, on April 13th.
