Education leaders discuss 'not acceptable' challenges facing sector amid £300m funding gap

Education leaders have met to discuss the significant budgetary challenges facing the sector in Northern Ireland. Permanent Secretary of the Department of Education (DE) Dr Mark Browne and the chairman of the board of the Education Authority (EA), Barry Mulholland, talked about the pressures facing education. The meeting on Thursday was also attended by EA board members as well as senior DE and EA officials.

Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government for over a year due to the DUP’s boycott of powersharing institutions in protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements. In the absence of a devolved executive, the budget for Northern Ireland was set by Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris, and decisions on budget allocation are to be taken by permanent secretaries in the absence of ministers. The budget set by Mr Heaton-Harris left a funding gap in the hundreds of millions for a number of Stormont departments. Following the meeting, Dr Browne said he is aware of the challenges that the education sector is facing amid inadequate funding. “I remain extremely conscious of the significant challenges facing the education system in terms of the current financial situation, ongoing industrial action, inadequate school estate funding and rising numbers of pupils with Special Educational Needs,” he said. “With a funding gap in the region of £300m in 2023-24, and despite taking some very difficult decisions, it will not be possible to live within our existing budget. “It will also once again be impossible to offer pay awards to our hard-working staff as, within the current budget, it is simply unaffordable. “This is not an acceptable position. Our teachers and staff deserve to be paid at a fair level for the outstanding job they do in very difficult circumstances. “I remain very concerned that the quality of education and outcomes for children and young people will continue to suffer without additional significant investment in education services and transformation, along with a sustainable funding model for the long term.” Mr Mulholland said there were pressures on the EA’s budget. “There has been a chronic underfunding in education over the last 10 years and we remain very concerned about the impact the unprecedented financial pressures are having on our schools, staff and ultimately our children and young people, particularly the most vulnerable,” he said. “It is essential that as a society we value and invest in the education of our children and young people and in future generations to come. “We would therefore echo the Permanent’s Secretary’s support for fair pay for all teaching and non-teaching staff and would strongly repeat our call for sustained investment and continued transformation of services.”

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