Ulster Unionist Education Spokesperson, Rosemary Barton MLA, has said the Secretary of State can no longer ignore the deepening funding crisis gripping local schools while she does nothing in the vain hope that a local Executive can be re-established.

Rosemary Barton said MLA:

“Education is an incredibly precarious situation right across Northern Ireland. Class sizes are swelling, subjects are being cut, buildings are becoming increasingly run-down and schools are even being forced to beg parents to send in essential supplies with their children.

“Almost all the day-to-day savings that could be made by schools have already been made. Their only remaining choice is to either make further cuts - which would impact upon the quality of teaching being delivered - or spend money which they haven’t got.

“This budget crisis has not been unexpected. For years the local education budget has been falling year-on-year in real terms, despite increasing costs and a growing numbers of pupils. The way it is structured is simply no longer fit for purpose and yet it appears that even the Education Authority failed to prepare for it.

“It’s shocking that the funding situation is so critical and yet absolutely nothing is being done to resolve it.

“It’s issues like this – when our children are on the verge of being given a poorer quality education because schools have simply run out of money – that put the bickering which is stopping the restoration of a local Executive, into perspective.

“The current situation simply can’t be allowed to go on. It’s clear that the DUP and Sinn Fein have no current willingness to break the stalemate and so as far as I am concerned the Secretary of State must intervene. Her policy of doing nothing and hoping for the best isn’t working, so she either needs to get off the fence and give them a time-bound ultimatum on the establishment of a local Executive, or move now to appoint direct rule Ministers to at least allow someone to step in and take decisions for the sake of our young people.”