The Irish Examiner, citing Department of Education Assistant Secretary, Sean O’Foghlu, reports today that NAMA is being approached by the Department to see if sites for schools can be bought “cheaply” from the NAMA portfolio. NAMA of course exists to maximise returns for the taxpayer and has stated that it will engage in a competitive tendering process when disposing of real property. How will schools compete with alternative users of land?
Schools are very much in focus in recent days. Today the Construction Industry Federation warned that up to 50,000 construction jobs (in an economy where two days ago the CSO reported that 125,300 were employed in construction) might be lost if the government continues to stall on its school building programme. The government has already commited €579 million this year in a programme to create 23,500 places in 20 new schools as well as 32 extensions. What is puzzling some is why the government is holding back on planned capital expenditure when plainly it would create employment in constructing much needed infrastructure.
And only yesterday the Department of Education announced ambitious new plans to attract substantial numbers of foreign students to the English-speaking land of scholars. Where will they all be accommodated?
So it seems there is a nexus between construction employment needs, an economic opportunity, improving infrastructure and cheaper land (regardless of whether it is sourced from NAMA or not). What appears to be missing is the drive at the Department of Education to move things forward.
NAMA Wine Lake 
On the Dept of Ed’s new scheme – attracting foreign students to Ireland – and rather than having to build new schools what about using some of the many surplus hotels that we’re told abound around the country?….or closed down or unprofitable hotels or hotels that may go into receivership?
Hotel buildings would seem to be reasonably suitable for conversion to residential educational use, as they have the bedroom accommodation, kitchens and large public areas such as function rooms and lounges that could easily be adapted for classrooms, cafeterias and play areas..
Indeed there are many ways of achieving our aims, though it is frustrating that the government is stalling on so many capital projects – there is almost €600m ear-marked this year for school building (which as you say could be used for converting existing structures if they’re in the right location), €60m has just been announced by Michael Finneran for special needs housing – when will that reach the market? Exchequer returns so far this year are “broadly in line with projections” but capital spending is down considerably. And this is not capital spending on Burkes Follies – we need more schools, hospitals, roads, social housing.