TD dismayed at exclusion of Mayo schools from building list
A Mayo TD has described the failure to include a single Mayo school on the government’s newly published list of 105 priority school building projects 'as deeply shocking and a damning reflection of the government’s attitude to the county when it comes to education'.
The list covering the period from 2026-2027 was published yesterday by Minister for Education and Youth, Hildegard Naughton, and outlines €1.6 billion in investment for 105 projects, including 31 new school buildings.
However, not one of those projects is located in County Mayo.
Deputy Conway-Walsh said: “I genuinely could not believe this decision when I saw the list.
"Minister Naughton knows there are so many schools across Mayo that have been waiting years for progress. To see none of them included is deeply shocking.
“In stark contrast, ten school projects in Galway – the minister’s own county – have been included.
"Now of course these schools deserve investment too, but the complete exclusion of Mayo from this list reveals an unfair and unacceptable imbalance in how these projects were selected.”
“Only last week in the Dáil I raised St. Brendan’s College in Belmullet who have been waiting nine years for their school extension, which will include two special education rooms.
"They’ve been left to source funding themselves for a ‘nurture room’ in time for next September’s enrolment. Given the urgency of the situation there, I was certain it would be included.
“I know that Sancta Maria College in Louisburgh submitted extensive plans ten months ago, yet despite repeated follow-up, there has been no update or communication from the Department on their expansion plans.
“An awful lot of voluntary work is carried out by boards of management, parents and teachers, often over many years, to jump through the department’s hoops and secure funding for their schools.
"To see that dedication not even recognised with inclusion on a priority list is incredibly disappointing.
“I am formally writing to the minister seeking an explanation for why no Mayo schools were prioritised and to request immediate updates on behalf of St Brendan’s College, Belmullet, and Sancta Maria College, Louisburgh.
“Mayo students deserve the same level of investment in their futures as students anywhere else in the country. This is deeply unfair and simply not good enough.
“I call on the Minister to urgently review the list and address the serious failure to treat Mayo fairly when it comes to investment in education.”