NI Schools 'Beyond Crisis Point' – Alliance

The current situation in Northern Ireland's schools has been described as "beyond crisis point".

Alliance Education spokesperson Nick Mathison MLA made the comment following the announcement that members of the school leaders' union, the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), will join teaching unions in strike action on Wednesday 29 November.

The Strangford MLA said: "The situation in our schools is now beyond crisis point, with staff at every tier taking industrial action due to ongoing pay disputes. All staff members in our schools deserve to be paid fairly for the vital work that they do and we are supportive of their right to engage in industrial action. As it stands, the system is absolutely untenable and unsustainable.

"Undoubtedly, it will be the children who will be impacted the most as a result of this announcement of further industrial action. This is just weeks after services in schools were disrupted due to industrial action by non-teaching members of staff. It is simply unforgivable that we currently do not have an Education Minister in post to support our schools. The DUP's seemingly indefinite boycott of the Executive is having a profound impact across our public services, with children once again paying the price for their inaction.

"We should have a locally elected and accountable Education Minister in-post, who is able to engage with our teachers, set a strategic budget, and work towards a solution. Alliance will continue to highlight the need for reform of the institutions and the importance of getting the Assembly back up and running so that we can deliver for the people of Northern Ireland across all public services."