A plan to build a shared education campus in Co Tyrone is, by Northern Ireland standards, an ambitious project.
The Strule campus in Omagh will bring together six schools at the former Lisanelly military barracks by 2020.
The six include a mix of controlled, maintained, grammar, non-grammar and special schools in a shared education hub.
As the Department of Education puts it, this is a `pioneering approach' to the delivery of education in the region.
Clearly, this is a large-scale initiative and redevelopment and construction at the Lisanelly site will involve considerable expenditure.
The difficulty for the executive is that the initial cost estimate has steadily increased, from an already substantial £100 million to almost £160 million.
Some slippage is to be expected in complex construction projects but this spiralling cost has to be a matter of serious concern.
It was only in June that the assembly education committee was told the cost would be closer to £140 million but now the department has put the latest estimate at £159 million.
It is staggering that costs can go up nearly £20 million within the space of a few months and people will wonder just how much more this project will cost the public purse.
We also know that the education budget is already hard pressed and it appears the increased cost of Strule, which is taking up a third of all capital funds, will have an impact on other school building projects across the north.
It is not entirely clear why the Strule costs have risen so dramatically and the department needs to provide a detailed explanation of all expenditure processes.
There is no doubt that when it is completed, this will be a landmark site for education.
But the public needs to be reassured that this project is providing value for money and costs are being kept under tight control.
