$2 million boost for new classrooms

Deputy premier and Education Minister James Merlino visited the college to announce state government funding of $2 million towards a new high quality, permanent building housing six classrooms, as well as additional learning spaces.

As part of the $3 million project, five ageing relocatable classrooms known to college students as The Terrace will be demolished.

The new building will be constructed in place of the existing outdoor basketball courts, while the current shaded courts will be roofed and wall established at the western end of the courts to protect from weather.

Designs are expected to be finalised in January before the project goes out to tender in February. It is hoped that the new building will be completed by the end of the 2018 school year.

Marist Sion College is contributing $1 million towards the project.

The new building is one of several construction projects underway at the school, which is also building a new $5 million learning centre comprised of 10 classrooms, food technology facilities and staff offices.

Marist-Sion College is a co-educational Catholic independent school founded in 1975 in Warragul and attracts students locally and from as far afield as Morwell and Pakenham.

Mr Merlino said the new project would help the college meet demand for growth as population in Drouin and Warragul expands.

“We have just under one million students in Victoria and student enrolments are going through the roof,” he said.

“We need to accommodate for 90,000 new students over the next five years.”

Mr Merlino said Marist Sion College is one of the many Victorian schools benefiting from the Andrews Labor Government’s $120 million Capital Funding Program for non-government schools.

The program has already seen more than 86 projects receive funding to build and upgrade Catholic and independent schools across the state.

Thirty-eight schools are sharing in $49.5 million in funding to expand and upgrade through the fund’s latest round.

“We’re knocking down The Terrace with matched funding from the school and Catholic Education for new classrooms,” Mr Merlino said.

“We’re getting rid of these old, tired relocatable classrooms and replacing them with brand new classrooms with the very best facilities – because the students at Marist-Sion College deserve nothing less.

“The project will cover growth and get rid of old stock that was good, but we can do better.”