Building has started on four new post-primary schools in Ireland.

The new schools are being developed under Schools Bundle 4 of the Government's Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme.

An estimated 720 jobs will be generated during the construction phase of the schools which will range in size from 6,500 to 10,000 square metres.

The schools and sports pitches will be built by BAM on greenfield sites and funded by AIB Corporate Banking and German Bank KfW IPEX-Bank.

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The announcement was made in Dublin by the Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O'Sullivan TD, and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin TD.

The new school buildings are:

• St Mary's College Dundalk, Co Louth.

• St Josephs Secondary School, Tulla, Co Clare.

• Comeragh College, Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary.

• Skibbereen (Replacement) School, Co Cork.

The contract with BAM Group Ireland for this project entails designing, building, financing, operating and maintaining the educational facilities involved. The cost is spread over a 25-year period through annual inflation-linked payments, the first of which will be made following completion of the first school building in 2016. Annual payments are expected to be approximately €7m.

(CD/JP)