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THE MINISTER FOR Education has announced a €39.7 million upgrade plan for St Patrick’s, the primary level teacher training college in Drumcondra, Dublin.
The existing facility was built to accommodate 800 pupils, but currently has over 2,000 students.
The upgrade will add enough space to accommodate 2,500 students ‘comfortably’, according to the Department of Education and Skills.
Up to 400 direct and indirect jobs could be created throughout the two-year construction project, the Department said in a statement, and the building contract has been awarded to JJ Rhattigan & Co.
Under the upgrade plan, the new St Pat’s facilities will include approximately 12,000 square metres of new student facilities alongside the refurbishment of 6,000 square metres of existing facilities. The project is set to cost the Exchequer €39.7m.
“The funding I am making available to St. Pat’s will mean that the college is equipped to provide the best possible learning experience to our student teachers,” Ruairi Quinn said.
“This good news for St Pat’s will also ultimately be good news for teacher education as we move towards centres of excellence and encouraging more formal links between colleges and universities.”
The minister has also called on the Higher Education Authority to review existing structures of the provision of teacher training.
“I have already announced changes to the content and length of teacher training courses, with much more emphasis on the actual skills of teaching especially in literacy and numeracy,” he said in a statement. “Now, I also want to see structural reforms in the provision of teacher training.”
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Great news! I hear England needs all the teachers we can produce!
So so true!
That’s not much of an incentive if you used tax money to send teacher away ?!
Yes.
Train them up Rory.
More teachers to export and more future Irish politicians to destroy the country.
Schoolteacher Europuppet government.
Jaysus reilly said there is no money but quinn can find 40 million for this!! That money would be better off going to schools for upgrade works so kids dont have to freeze in portacabins, or go towards employing or keeping an SNA.
This is the 2nd time for this to be announced. The building is actually underway, but stalled when Elliot’s, the previous builder, went bust. So as an announcement, it’s 3 years old and a bit of a red herring..
Good work!! Let’s train some more teachers to export!!
Last wweeeeeeeeeee
Last week the minister said he no money when other schools wanted maintenace done and to get rid of the wooden huts that are been used.
l
Maybe they can use some of the money to pay for an apostrophe to put in the sign in the photograph! :-)
Diarmaid, there is a treatment for CED (compulsive editing disorder).
Anyway, I don’t think St Patrick owns the college.
So where are all these expertley trained teachers going to teach because as far as I’m aware the government are slashing teacher numbers and pay…..basically its 37million to fund a college to train teachers who will ultimately work abroad???? Am I the only one who feels that this government are taking the piss yet AGAIN!!!!!!
Yea that makes sense Quinn!! 40 million spent training new teachers while current teachers struggle to find work!! Your a genius!!
Good investment, hope The EU is paying for it.
This work was already approved and started in 2010. The company involved, Elliot Construction, went bust and the worked stopped.
have your say