Education Minister, Bronwyn Pike, said: “While we have a record level of investment in our schools with a AUS$1.9bn program to rebuild, extend or renovate every government school across the state by 2017, we know we could do even more.
“Investment in school infrastructure can improve the performance of individual schools and contribute to broader educational improvements across the State.”
The announcement follows an investigation into the feasibility of using public private partnerships to create new schools conducted by Minister Pike and Treasurer John Lenders.
“Their report found a very strong business case for PPPs in building Victorian schools,” Pike said.
The 10 schools, in and around Melbourne, will be built, managed and maintained by a private sector partner for a period of 25 years.
Interested private sector businesses or consortiums will be asked to submit expressions of interest early next year. The first new schools are expected to be built in time for the start of the 2010 school year.