Limited refurbishments to the buildings of secondary and primary schools will in future be carried out under a new funding plan announced by the Department of Education today.
The Summer Works Scheme will replace all the small-scale building programmes currently in place with the exception of the devolved grant scheme for primary schools.
According to the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, the new arrangement will give schools more autonomy in managing their budgets for capital projects.
Under the programme applications for funding under the capital allocation for school buildings must be in place by Friday, January 30th, 2004. Those projects included in the Scheme for 2004 will be published no by February 27th neat year.
The new programme is targeted at building works that can be planned and delivered within the school summer holidays.
To encourage projects being completed on time money awarded to a project will be withdrawn of work does not start or of 70 per cent of the funding has not been used after six months.
"I am confident that this scheme will be widely welcomed by school authorities", said Mr Dempsey.