Queen Elizabeth Cambria is one of the schools subject to merger

The county council will build 19 new primary schools and one comprehensive, it announced on Friday.

The council accepts the plans are likely to be controversial. The areas affected cover 35 existing primary schools and three secondary schools. Names of most schools in the ten-year programme have not yet been announced, but the first will be in the next few weeks.

Some proposals are already known, such as uniting Queen Elizabeth Cambria and Maridunum secondary schools in Carmarthen.

The important thing to realise is that we're talking about improving education standards across the board Education director Alun Davies

In the Llanelli area, Llwynhendy Junior and Ysgol Yr Ynys will be merged to form one learning centre, as will Copperworks and Lakefield.

But council chief executive Mark James said small schools with one or two teachers would be phased out.

He said there were schools where one teacher was teaching children aged between three and 10 in the same class.

"That just can't be beneficial for the children and how the teachers are able to do it is a credit to them," said Mr James.

Carmarthenshire currently has a surplus of more than 4,000 primary places, making running costs in some areas ineffective.

Court battle

Education director Alun Davies would not be drawn on how many schools would close and said: "It's impossible to put a figure on it.

"The important thing to realise is that we're talking about improving education standards across the board.

"Children will have a much better education and a much better social experience," he added.

Closures of rural schools can be controversial

The modernisation will also look at updating school facilities, such as creating new buildings and getting rid of outdoor toilets.

Carmarthenshire wants many of its schools to become "community resources", open from 0800BST until 2200BST offering adult education as well.

Mr James said the programme would be funded partly be the Welsh Assembly Government, partly from the council budget and through the sale of assets if needed.

But he stressed there would be no private finance initiative, the funding method supported by the UK Government which involves private companies building public projects which they then effectively lease back to public sector bodies such as education and health authorities.

"We do receive some money from the Welsh Assembly Government. It's nowhere near enough so we are going to put in our own resources," said Mr James.

"We can borrow money where we need to, council tax does not have to go up."

Over the past two years, a rural primary school in neighbouring Pembrokeshire rose to prominence as parents took their fight to save it to the High Court.

But the 53-pupil Ysgol Hermon closed in the summer, after losing an appeal in July.