New school buildings to help cope with the growing population of children will require an additional €100 million this year.

The number of children attending primary school is projected to peak in a year’s time when some 575,000 children will be enrolled, a figure not seen since the baby boom of the 1980s.

Minister for Education Richard Bruton is seeking an extra €136 million for his department this year, the bulk of which will go on progressing school buildings, along with minor works grants for primary schools.

This will bring the overall capital budget for primary and secondary schools to more than half a billion euro.

Additional staff retirements from schools and institutes of technology are responsible for additional current expenditure of €36 million.

While a total of 1,159 retirements were provided for in the Department of Education’s estimates for this year, the actual number is set to climb by more than 500 to 1,706.

Mr Bruton said the additional overall funding was vital to helping students achieve their potential.

“We have a growing school population, and this additional investment in 2016 allows us to deliver more school places in the primary and post-primary sector, as well as allowing schools to maintain and improve their buildings,” he said.

These supplementary estimates will be considered’ by an Oireachtas education committee on Wednesday, before being voted on by the Dáil.

There is also expected to be a shortfall of €18 million in pension-related contributions.

These costs are projected to be offset by savings in primary teacher salaries of €24 million, mainly arising from reduced substitution costs.

In addition, there will be savings of €6 million arising from an arbitrator’s pay award for grant-funded school secretaries and caretakers.