Lunn hails report on shared education and says tackling division is essential

Alliance Education Spokesperson Trevor Lunn MLA has welcomed a report from Oxford Economics which said shared education could help schools here deal with the difficult financial circumstances Northern Ireland is facing. Trevor Lunn said that it costs around £1 billion to maintain segregated services here and a significant amount of this relates to the education sector and said it’s essential that government addresses the cost of division.

Trevor Lunn MLA said: “There are currently massive pressures on our public finances and we need to explore ways of making public services more efficient. The best way to start this process is by tackling the cost of division here. This is estimated to be £1 billion annually, with a significant proportion of this relating to segregation within the education sector.

“It is vitally important that we see moves towards more integrated and shared education within the system here. I strongly welcome this report and I hope that government take notice of it and act to address division in education and other sectors as soon as possible.

“Tackling segregation will unlock a massive amount of money, but it may take some time to do this but a journey of 100 miles begins with a single step. Ending division in our society would not only help us achieve more value for money but also help improve community relations and build a shared society here.”

ENDS