Borders receives record spending on education
Wednesday, July 5 2006
More than £134 million will be spent on improving education facilities in the Borders over the next six years. The figure includes £101 million to build new schools, improve existing ones and make school premises safer and more accessible for pupils, teachers, parents and the community.
With the first week of the school summer holidays underway, Scottish Borders Council has completed an internal review of education expenditure.
It includes £19.8 million for new primary schools at Caddonfoot, Kingsland, Halyrude and Lauder (the 4PS project) and a further £12 million for a new primary school at West Linton in 2010-2012.
A boost of £60 million is going to secondary education in the shape of new, state-of-the-art schools at Duns, Earlston and Eyemouth (the 3HS project).
An additional £10 million is being put into schools throughout the Borders via the Schools Fund and minor works projects to secure better access in schools for disabled pupils, pedestrian safety features (under the School Travel Plans), extensions to Heriot and Priorsford Primary Schools and improvements to Duns and Parkside Primary Schools.
Further and Higher Education in the Borders are also gaining substantial investment. Heriot-Watt University and Borders College have jointly secured £33 million towards the new FE college in Hawick and a new joint university and college campus at Netherdale, Galashiels, with new halls of residence. The investment in further and higher education is a result of around £21 million from the Funding Council, the remainder coming from European funding and the resources of Heriot-Watt University and Borders College.
"This is a truly golden age for Borders' education," said Scottish Borders Council Leader David Parker. "One of the most significant investments in generations is taking place in our region, involving the primary, secondary, further and higher education sectors. This record level of investment will provide state-of-the-art facilities that will benefit generations of Borderers for many years to come."
SBC Joint Executive Education Spokesman Councillor Andrew Farquhar added, "Spending on education in the region has never been so high. More than 5,000 of our children and staff will reap the benefits of these outstanding opportunities. We are very proud of our part in securing this investment. It will enable us to sustain and build on the outstanding quality and scope of the education opportunities we offer in the Borders, from pre-school right through to university. It's going to be a very busy and exciting time over the next few years as we work hard to have the first of our new secondary schools open by 2008."
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