€491m plan for school building unveiled

EFFORTS to improve and modernise the country’s 4,000 schools will benefit from a €0.5 billion building package unveiled by Education Minister Mary Hanafin yesterday.

The minister said that more than 1,300 projects will be active in 2006. These include many moving to the next stages in the planning procedures, although building work might not begin.

Of 93 major primary school projects and 43 at second level on site this time last year, 101 have been completed.