The first round of the NSW Government’s $240 million Regional and Metro Renewal Programs are rolling out, with more than 790 schools set to benefit in the first round alone.
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell announced the first recipients of the funding at Lindfield Public School today, where a playground upgrade has been approved through the Metro Renewal Program.
“The Renewal Programs will accelerate the delivery of community funded school improvement projects right across the state, injecting millions of dollars’ worth of stimulus into local economies,” Ms Mitchell said.
“This program is part of the NSW Government’s economic stimulus response to the pandemic, and will deliver educational benefits, community benefits and economic benefits as communities continue to recover.”
The projects are identified by school communities and co-funded by the school and the NSW Government.
Ms Mitchell said the Metro and Regional Renewal Programs would make sure schools across the state have access to modern facilities to support learning outcomes.
“We have 792 projects approved as part of Tranche 1 of this program, with the second round of assessments now underway. Overall, we will see well over 1,000 projects delivered at NSW schools,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The projects will support over 1,300 jobs across regional and metro NSW, and wherever possible, schools will use local contractors and suppliers ensuring the positive impacts of this stimulus are felt as far and wide as possible.
“This is particularly important in regional areas, because after a devastating period of drought, bushfires and the pandemic, we need to ensure we are doing everything we can to build a safer and stronger regional NSW.”
The NSW Government is investing $7 billion over the next four years, continuing its program to deliver more than 200 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.
