Schools in Temporary Accommodation to Get Priority in National Development Plan
Minister Hildegarde Naughton announced that schools in temporary facilities, like Sligo's Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré, will be prioritized in the next National Development Plan. She acknowledged the Gaelscoil's inadequate prefabricated classrooms and visited Ursuline College, celebrating its 175th anniversary, which seeks approval for a long-awaited expansion project.
Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegarde Naughton, announced that schools in temporary accommodation will receive priority in the next phase of the National Development Plan (NDP). Speaking during a visit to Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré in Sligo, Minister Naughton stated that 105 school projects announced in January will proceed to tender and construction over the next two years.
She acknowledged the frustration of Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré, Sligo's only Gaelscoil, for not being included in the January projects. The school, opened in 1996, has 208 students and operates from two classrooms in a GAA clubhouse and 10 prefabricated classrooms, which principal Liz Nic Searraigh described as «not fit for purpose» due to heating and ventilation issues.
Minister Naughton confirmed that Gaelscoil Chnoc na Ré will be a prioritisation project for the 2028/2029 NDP tranche because of its temporary facility. She also visited Scoil Ursula and Ursuline College, which is celebrating its 175th anniversary. Founded in 1850, the all-girls school has 750 students. Principal Colin McIntyre hopes the minister will allow their decade-long extension and refurbishment project to proceed to tender, noting ongoing issues despite emergency repairs.