Danny Kinahan, Ulster Unionist Party education spokesman has said that the Education Minister must come to the Assembly to set out the implications for his Area Planning policy, of the critical judgement handed down by Mr Justice Treacy on the Department of Education's approach to long-term planning and integrated education.
Mr Kinahan said:
“This judgement in which the Department of Education’s area planning policy and attitude to integrated education is heavily criticised must have serious applications for the Minister’s overall policy on shared education, and area planning for schools.
“I really do not like to see a situation where one sector of the education system is at loggerheads with the Department, and court cases are the order of the day. However this is the inevitable outcome of having such a fragmented and unequal education system in Northern Ireland.
“Attempting to reorganise a system where some sectors have their own sectorial bodies with their own agenda, and where some have been allowed to unilaterally rationalise their own schools estate has led to this confused situation.
“I have said many times, Area Planning- which was meant to reorganise the schools estate on a rational and collaborative basis has been botched from the start.
“How can this process even be described as ‘area–based planning’, when the maintained sector has already planned its own future, with little regard for shared education? There is continuing uncertainty in many parts of our divided education system, and no leadership has been shown by the Department or its Minister.
“The Minister needs to come to the Assembly to make a statement on the Justice Treacy ruling and its implications as a matter of urgency.”