Soaring student numbers in NSW schools won't lead to an increase in class sizes, the education minister has promised, as teachers call for urgent action to address the population boom.
The government is expected to spend $5 billion as part of a new infrastructure unit, announced on Thursday, which will take over the responsibility of planning and building schools in a bid to meet growing demand.
"It is a big challenge but it is also an exciting challenge," NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes said.
With public school enrolments expected to grow 21 per cent by 2031, the minister said the department will be freed up to better focus on teaching and students' needs.
In the three months he's been in the job, Mr Stokes has gone to Treasury seeking more money to build schools on several occasions.
"That's not an efficient way to build schools and that's part of the reason why we're introducing a new model," Mr Stokes said.
The maintenance of current schools is a challenge with repair bills running into hundreds of millions of dollars.
The education minister suggested co-sharing infrastructure could see other organisations shoulder some of the costs.
"Often local government or not-for-profit organisations can be tasked with the ongoing maintenance of the building."
Mr Stokes said developers could also be part of the plan to build new infrastructure without paying for it upfront in a "win-win" for the community.
But NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley was critical of the coalition's approach, saying it won't deliver the additional schools needed.
"What we see today is simply bureaucratic reshuffling," he told reporters.
At the current rate of expenditure, it would take the government 45 years to build the schools that are required over the next 15, he said, adding "this is a crisis for Sydney".
The NSW Teachers Federation argues there's an urgent need to build new schools.
Teachers should be consulted in any planning process to address the issue, the federation's acting president Joan Lemaire said in a statement.
