Irish Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe has announced plans to build seven new schools under Public-Private Partnerships.

Spanning across six counties, the new buildings will provide 4,800 pupil places.

They will be located in Donegal, Leitrim, Galway, Wexford, Waterford and Westmeath.

Six of the new projects are second-level schools while one is a primary school.

-- Advertisement --

According to Minister O'Keeffe, the schools could be built, and in use, by 2012.

Mr O'Keeffe said: "They will create new school places for over 4,800 pupils, radically improving our educational infrastructure at primary and post-primary levels."

Public-Private Partnership programmes sees private firms tender to not only design and build projects but to also maintain them for, in some instances, up to 20 years.

Today's announcement is the third bundle of schools to be built under the Department of Education's PPP programme.

(PR/JM)