Bunclody Community College Struggles with Overcrowded Outdated Facilities Amid Rapid Growth

Deputy Malcolm Byrne has raised urgent concerns about the long-delayed school building project for Bunclody Community College, which has been on the agenda since 2014. The school, serving 310 students, has seen a significant increase in enrollment and is rapidly outgrowing its facilities. Despite being a pilot school for projects supporting marginalized communities, the physical conditions are deteriorating. Students are taught in prefabricated classrooms and the school operates across two campuses with a 500-meter walk between them, which wastes valuable class time. Speaking in the Dáil Deputy Byrne criticized the lack of progress highlighting that other schools in the area had seen faster development. The project has been stalled at Stage 2B for years with no clear timeline for completion. Deputy Byrne appealed for more transparency and a firm commitment on when construction will begin. He called for the Department of Education to be more honest about the project’s timeline. Minister Troy, in response, acknowledged the challenges and reiterated the ongoing efforts to move the project forward. He committed to bringing Byrne’s concerns back to the Department of Education to press for a more realistic timeframe for the school’s new building.