Danny Kinahan MLA, the Ulster Unionist Party spokesman on Education has called on the Minister for Education to immediately curtail all current expenditure on the failed ESA project.

Mr Kinahan said:

“The ill designed Education Bill which contains a bloated version of the Education and Skills Authority was agreed at the top table without any input from anyone else- let alone the teachers, pupils and parents to whom it related. I sent out a survey to all School Principals and Chairs of Governors last year and 85% of those responding said they had not been consulted about this version of ESA, and had not been aware of its overbearing and bureaucratic nature.

“The Ulster Unionist Party led the opposition to ESA in the Assembly and we were the only major party to oppose the Bill at second reading stage. We canvassed all schools. We went around the country raising awareness. We held public meetings and pushed for proper consultation. We campaigned through the local press and through all our councils to stop ESA because it did not do what it was originally meant to do.

“It was meant to produce a more efficient and effective system for managing our education system, but would have done the opposite. It has been a £16million plus failure, and each day it goes on it takes vital money away from other parts of our education system at a rate of over a million pounds a year! It seems that at long last the Minister recognises that this cannot continue, but he must take immediate action to ensure that all current expenditure on ESA –including the salaries being paid to designated officers are curtailed.

“It is time to end this expensive two party ivory tower 'deal or no deal' approach to our education system. We need a return to a consensus approach to government that was wrecked at St Andrews. It is time to work for all sections of the community not the narrow polarised approach of SF and DUP.

“The Minister needs to sit down with all parties and construct an Education Authority that works for everybody.”