I recently spoke to the Department of Education and they have advised that they feel the new school building for St Pauls could be delivered before the end quarter of 2019.
The school has been waiting 16 years for the new building and concerns have been made for years from the teachers, students and parents. The number of students doubled in 10 years and there are only 2 toilet cubicles for 207 boys. Teachers have no staff room and old, damp prefabs are in use.
I attended the last public meeting in Monasterevin to discuss the ongoing delays to the new build and I was able to provide an update from the Department while at this meeting. I have been assured that this is top priority for the Department of Education over any other building project in the country.
The Department feels they will deliver the new school before the end of quarter 3, 2019 which is positive news for all involved. Although many people feel they will not believe it until they see it, I am hopeful they will see building commence sooner rather than later.