Work to start on four new Meath schools

Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn, has announced that four new schools in Meath are to begin construction in 2013. Minister Quinn's announcement comes as part of a national school building plan that will see the construction of 35 new schools and 15 schools receiving extensions in 2013. It also forms part of the €2 billion five year plan which will see 275 new major school building projects implemented over the period 2012-2016. The four Meath projects are Coláiste na Mí, Navan Post Primary, Navan; St Stephen's NS, Johnstown; Ashbourne Post Primary School, Ashbourne; Gaelscoil Na Mí Primary, Ashbourne. Minister McEntee said: "We have a fast growing population in county Meath and in the past few years I have witnessed a huge increase in demand for places in our current schools. Every parent wants to have the choice of where they send their child to school but at the moment this is not always the case. In particular I am delighted to see that two of the schools scheduled to begin construction are in Meath East. It is a great boost to our constituency and will be welcomed not just by parents but by whole communities. Projects such as this create employment which in turn brings life back into the community."