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The BC government has announced it will be spending $7.5 million on adding 120 new student seats with five new classrooms at North Glenmore Elementary.

The new classrooms are expected to be ready for fall 2024 as demands for new spaces are increasing with the Central Okanagan School District’s fast growing student population, according to a Ministry of Education media release issued today, Nov. 29.

The new classrooms will be a prefabricated addition to the school and are expected to be ready by next fall.

"As we serve more students each year, projects like this offer an efficient way to build on our safe, welcoming and sustainable learning spaces," school board chair Lee-Ann Tiede said in the release.

READ MORE: Ministry of Education invested $176.85M in Central Okanagan, but still relies on portables

New plans in the Central Okanagan follow sustainable and energy-efficient designs which align with the province's CleanBC targets and meet BC's enhanced energy requirements, the ministry said.

The province has approved approximately $177 million to create 2,220 new student seats in the Central Okanagan school district over the past six years. Including the 12-classroom addition at École Dr. Knox Middle school currently underway, the completed École H.S. Grenda Middle School and funding for the new George Pringle Secondary.

Since September 2017, the province has spent more than $4 billion on new schools and renovations. As a result, there are 25,000 new student spaces and 35,000 “seismically safe” seats at BC schools.

READ MORE: Central Okanagan among top users of portable classrooms

The new 2023 BC budget includes $3.4 billion to be spent on capital projects over the next three years.

"We are expanding schools to meet the needs of our growing communities," Education Minister Rachna Singh said in the release. "With record population growth, our government will continue to invest in our schools as more cities like Kelowna welcome new students to their classrooms."

More information about capital school projects can be found by following the link here.

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