Over 170 major school building projects will begin next year, as part of a €387 million programme to address the school accommodation crisis.
Most of the projects will be in the primary sector, where the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) estimates some 400 dilapidated schools require urgent renovation or replacement.
Making the announcement, the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, said the programme, the largest in the history of the State, "is another significant step in delivering on the Government commitment to provide improved school accommodation".
At a press conference, the Minister accused some management bodies of allowing their schools to fall into disrepair in order to put pressure on the Department. "I am not aware of rats running up and down the corridor in schools. That is bad management."
Boards of management in schools have a responsibility, he said, to spend the resources they are given for essential maintenance work.
The main details of the programme are as follows:
All high-priority ( Band 1 and Band 2) projects at primary level, at an advanced stage of architectural planning, will proceed to tender and construction during 2004;
All Band 1 projects at post-primary level, at an advanced stage of architectural planning, will proceed to tender and construction during 2004;
Over €32 million is to be spent on securing sites for schools, compared to less than €6 million last year;
14 PE halls will be built in second-level schools;
€15 million will be spent upgrading school laboratory facilities at second level.
Funding for the PE halls is contingent on agreement from schools that these facilities will be available to the wider community. Schools will have exclusive use of these halls during school periods, exams and other designated times.
The Minister said he was "convinced that devolving funding, responsibility and authority to schools to the greatest extent possible is the way forward".
Under the new programme, the number of schools taking part in devolved accommodation schemes is to be doubled.
In a further initiative, the Minister said 2004 would see the first school to go to construction using a newly developed standard design. In addition, a pilot fast-track design-and-build primary school project will go on site during 2004 for Griffeen Valley Educate Together National School, Lucan, Co Dublin.
The Minister announced that considerable work would be done on preparing for 2005 and subsequent years within a multi-annual framework - this was agreed in the recent Budget.
He said the five-year rolling investment programme will enable him to plan projects more confidently for the medium term, as well as the short term.
Next year's programme provides a €11 million contingency fund, but it does not take into account the additional €30 million for school buildings secured by the Department in the Budget. In all, over €200 million will be available for work at primary level next year.
Yesterday, the Minister claimed no money would be made available to a Donegal school until the current protest had ended.
Pupils have been withdrawn from a school in Gortahork because of its poor condition.
In an apparent reference to Sinn Féin, Mr Dempsey said he did "not like to see kids being used in this way by elements outside the school".
On RTÉ radio yesterday, the school authorities reacted angrily to the Minister's comments.