The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., announced a second round of approvals for schools in a €40.5 million initiative aimed at replacing rented prefabs with high quality classrooms.

91 schools around the country have been given the green light to proceed with the construction of permanent classrooms. Funding of €26.5 million is being made available.

This latest funding follows on from an announcement from the Minister in March that 77 schools would be building new classrooms to replace prefabs.

The announcement will result in a total of 194 mainstream classrooms and 105 resource teaching/learning support rooms being built.

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Alongside the 91 schools which have been approved today, the Department of Education and Skills is considering a further 12 schools as part of this scheme.

Those schools are expected to be finalised in coming weeks in the biggest ever initiative to replace rented prefabs, involving a total of 180 schools.

Minister Quinn said: "This announcement shows the Government's commitment to phasing out the inefficient renting of prefabs and is great news for thousands of children and their teachers. We are delivering on a key commitment given in the Programme for Government.

"Despite the tough economic situation this country faces, we have secured €40.5 million for this important programme. It will see approximately 6,000 pupils move from prefabs into permanent classrooms and resource rooms.

"And as well as being a huge improvement for the schools involved, the construction industry will be boosted by the creation of an estimated 700 direct and 140 indirect jobs."

The scheme will result in savings of approximately €5 million per annum on the rental of prefabs in these schools in coming years.

The prefab replacement initiative forms part of the Government’s €430 million education infrastructure plan for 2012.

(CD/GK)