Education Minister Paul Givan has announced that 13 school building projects across Northern Ireland are set to progress to the construction stage. The investment includes four large-scale major works projects and nine school enhancement schemes, representing a total capital commitment of more than £180 million.

The four major works projects, which account for just over £130m in investment over the next four years, involve:

• Enniskillen Royal Grammar School, Enniskillen

• Priory Integrated College, Holywood

• Dunclug College, Ballymena

• St Malachy's Primary School, Armagh

In addition to these large-scale builds, over £50m will be invested over a three-year period to deliver school enhancement projects at nine further sites. These schemes focus on extensions and refurbishments to meet immediate requirements. The schools included in this phase are Lurgan College, Greenhaw Primary School, Antrim Primary School, Fairview Primary School, Ballyclare Primary School, Chapel Road Primary School, Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School (Belfast), St Bride's Primary School (Belfast), and St Mary's Primary School (Newtownbutler). Minister Givan announced the move during a visit to Fairview Primary School, noting that many of the selected schools are currently in poor condition and have lacked investment for years.

Paul Givan said: "I have today agreed to release a small number of major works and school enhancement projects to construction stage. Many of these projects have been in planning for a significant number of years, serving schools that are in exceptionally poor condition that have seen little or no investment and now urgently require replacement buildings. Whilst I continue to work to secure a Capital Budget settlement that can deliver the investment required for our school estate, it is clear that these schemes cannot continue to be held back."

The Minister described the decision as a "prudent approach" to managing capital expenditure by carefully regulating the number of projects entering the procurement phase.

He added: "I believe this is a prudent approach to manage overall capital expenditure by very carefully controlling the number of schemes released to construction procurement, as part of a balanced portfolio of schemes aimed at addressing the decades of underinvestment in our school buildings. Proceeding to construction stage will be very welcome news for the schools, pupils and wider school communities concerned and for the wider construction industry. I will of course continue to make the case for increased and sustained capital investment across our Schools' Estate."