Lyttle says financial crisis in education at breaking point

Alliance Education spokesperson Chris Lyttle MLA has said the financial crisis facing our education system is at breaking point.

Mr Lyttle was speaking after hosting the National Association of Head Teachers Northern Ireland’s Education Crisis Session at Parliament Buildings. He said every child was entitled to a high quality education.

“One of my last acts as Acting Chair of the Assembly’s Education Committee was to call the then-Education Minister Peter Weir to attend the committee to answer questions around the growing financial crisis across our education system. That was in January 2017 and things have only got worse since then.

“Alliance has consistently called for a Bengoa-style review of education and in the meantime, I have regularly met with parents, schools and other interested groups – they are all clear there is a growing financial crisis.

“We need to address this situation and do it now. That can begin by removing the needless duplication of services across education to ensure every child and young person receives the education they are entitled to.

“Unfortunately, that is not going to happen in the absence of Executive Ministers to take decisions. I once again call on those parties tasked with forming an Executive to do so, so we can introduce the reforms needed to ensure our education system becomes structured and resourced enough to allow our schools to deliver the high quality education they are capable of.”
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