Highton PS to get new building

TWO schools in Geelong will get new buildings as part of a $4.5 million state government initiative to remove asbestos from old school buildings.

Minister for Education James Merlino made the announcement on Thursday during a visit to Highton Primary School.

The school in Roslyn Road will receive $2.5 million and Fyans Park Primary School $2 million for the demolition of old asbestos-ridden facilities and the construction of new buildings, which will be ready for use by February.

The main building at Highton Primary School will be demolished and replaced by a modular building, which will house classrooms, an art room and toilets.

At Fyans Park Primary School in Newtoqn, the administration building will be replaced with a modular building with classrooms, an art room, staff area and student toilets.

As part of the Asbestos Removal Program, poor condition buildings containing asbestos will be demolished and replaced with permanent modular buildings. This will reduce planning and building times, and mean less disruption to students, staff and teaching programs.

A state-wide audit of 1,712 government schools was conducted and 497 schools were found to contain high-risk asbestos, which was removed by March 2016.

“We’re improving school infrastructure right across the state so every student has the opportunity to get the most out of their education,” Mr Merlino said.

“The use of modular buildings allows us to remove dangerous asbestos with less disruption to our schools, which is a great outcome for local students, teachers and staff.”

Geelong MP Christine Couzens said the works at the schools were in addition to $149 million Labor had invested in school infrastructure across Geelong.

“We’re improving the safety and amenity of schools right across Geelong by delivering schools upgrades and removing asbestos to makesure our schools are safe and fit for purpose.”