NI Education Funding Announced

There's to be nearly £2bn spent on Northern Ireland's educational budget in the current year.

The Stormont Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, has just announced her funding allocations for education services for 2010-11. The Minister confirmed that current funding for education was up only marginally - by 1.9% to just over £1.9bn - but said that it had been a difficult budget involving difficult decisions.

The Minister said: "We face a challenging year for education. While there is an overall increase of 1.9% on the education budget and I have been able to provide more money directly to schools, there are also areas where I have not had that option.

"The overall budget agreed by the NI Executive requires substantial savings of £74m on my original plans for this year.

"This is on top of £13m savings previously withdrawn in anticipation of the Education and Skills Authority (ESA).

"In determining allocation for 2010-11, I have focused on equality, reducing bureaucracy and ensuring as much funding as possible for the classroom," she explained.

"Throughout, my priority has been to protect frontline services. When faced with the alternatives of cutting teachers or youth workers and cutting back office functions, there is only one sensible choice," she said, noting that she "was pleased to announce an increased budget - which goes directly to schools - of 1.9%".

She said this was protecting core front-line educational services in the classroom.

Although this represents only a modest increase from last year, she said it must be considered in the context of the need for all departments to deliver substantial savings compared to previously planned budgets.

In the case of education, these reductions were £51.7m in current expenditure and £22m in capital.

The Minister said that she remained committed to increasing the relative levels of funding for primary schools.

"I have made clear my commitment to ensuring additional funding for primary schools and I am able to announce that the budget provides for an additional £90 per primary pupil which represents a 3.1% increase in funding per primary school pupil compared to last year."

The Minister also indicated that resources for Education and Library Boards will be down on last year.

She said: "I will look to the Boards to ensure as far as possible that these reductions do not impact on core services for children and youth."

On proposed streamlining of education administration, the Minister said: "To protect school budgets we need to reduce bureaucracy in administration.

"The changes required to reduce red tape, raise educational standards and improve services are long overdue and we can no longer wait until the new ESA is up and running.

"Establishment of the ESA remains an objective of the NI Executive and I am working to deliver that objective.

"I welcome that the budget agreed by the Executive includes £6.4m of the additional £8m I need to help deliver it," she continued.

Meanwhile, resources have also been made available for the introduction of the 'Holding Body' for controlled schools and new sectoral support bodies which will be required once the ESA is up and running.

(BMcC/GK)