Northern Ireland’s biggest ever education construction project is set to open in September 2028, with the decision to proceed with building work being announced by the Education Minister on Thursday.
The Strule Shared Education Campus in Omagh will bring together six schools from across the community, and incorporate grammar, non-selective and special school provision on the former Lisanelly Army Barracks.
It will involve over 4,000 children and young people from all backgrounds coming together to learn on the campus.
The initiative is being set up for schools to work together, to provide a shared curriculum and a wide range of extra-curricular activities.
Education Minister Paul Givan said: “The Strule Campus will be the largest education construction project ever delivered.
“It is a new and pioneering approach which will inform the future development of education in Northern Ireland over the coming decades.
“Shared Education has a key role in developing a peaceful and shared society and the Strule Campus is a vital component in the Executive’s vision of delivering a more peaceful and prosperous society for all.”
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The programme is intended to provide six core schools – five post-primary and one special school – and associated shared education facilities on the 125-acre site in Omagh, including a shared sports centre, shared education centre, a sports pavilion and associated synthetic pitches.
The schools involved are Arvalee School and Resource Centre, Christian Brothers Grammar School, Loreto Grammar School, Omagh Academy Grammar School, Omagh High School, and Sacred Heart College.
Arvalee Special School has already been constructed on the Strule site, with BBC NI reporting in December that over £44.4m has been spent on it, a new road scheme and site preparation work.
The project has been previously beset by delays and earlier this year, its cost was reported to have soared to an anticipated £341m.
An independent review last year deemed it “unaffordable”.
It was estimated the Department of Education would need to provide £170m towards the project, with much of the funding also being provided by the government’s Fresh Start Agreement.
In March, the Executive said it will provide £150m towards the campus, with the funding to be provided over the next three years.
Construction is set to begin later this year.
Work began to clear the site in 2013, and the campus was supposed to be operational in 2021.
As well as funding issues, the lack of a functioning Executive and consequentially, an education minister, has also hindered progress over the last decade.
Mr Givan added: “I am delighted we have reached this key milestone in the delivery of this iconic and unique shared education campus. The Strule Campus will be an education campus of world and international renown and a flagship for the shared post-conflict society we are aiming to develop.”