Northern Ireland Education Minister Martin McGuinness has announced plans to spend £72m on new school buildings and major refurbishments.

However, such plans could be put on ice if the assembly is suspended by the end of the week due to the crisis over the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons.

Legislation to freeze devolution was overwhelmingly backed in the House of Commons on Tuesday and is currently making its passage through the Lords.

But Mr McGuinness has pressed ahead with the announcement of capital spending projects for schools, despite the fact that his ministerial powers could become defunct by Friday.

Speaking at Stormont, Mr McGuinness said the programme would address top priority needs in the controlled, maintained and integrated school sectors.

"Since my appointment I have acknowledged that many of our schools have serious accommodation problems which needed to be addressed," he said.

"This considerable investment should be seen as an important first step by the assembly towards that objective."

The investment includes funding for 11 new primary schools, four grammar schools, two secondary schools and a special school.

The largest chunk of the money - £13m - will go to Dominican College in north Belfast, where pupils are taught in 30 temporary classrooms and the accommodation dates back to the 1800s.

Principal Sister Rosaire Boden welcomed the funding announcement saying purpose built classrooms would "meet the developing needs of the curriculum".

An east Belfast primary school which has been campaigning for money for many years is to get £2m for a new building which will accommodate 200 pupils.

Children at Cregagh Primary School will no longer have to work in substandard accommodation with the construction of a new school on the same site.

Ronnie Milligan principal said everyone was "absolutely ecstatic" with the announcement.

"I am delighted for the pupils, the staff and the community who have put such a lot of hard work into supporting the school through very hard times," he said.

In a surprising move, Mr McGuinness said two schemes were being included in the programme but would be delayed to make the "best use" of resources available.

These are a major extension planned for Antrim Grammar School and a new school building at Christ the Redeemer Primary School in Dunmurry, outside Belfast.

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Antrim Grammar School welcomed the news but said it was disappointed the money would not be available earlier.

Mr McGuinness added that he had given particular consideration to the need for a major extension at Regent House School in Newtownards, County Down.

This is the province's largest controlled grammar school with almost 1,500 pupils and the project was included in a package of capital works announced in May 1998.

However, it was linked to the planned disposal of the former Scrabo High School in Newtownards.

Mr McGuinness added: "That remains the case and while the sale of Scrabo may take a little while to complete I am satisfied that work on Regent House should be allowed to proceed in the meantime."