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School leaders have been cautioned that the education sector is facing significant financial constraints resulting in “painful cuts.” This message was conveyed in a letter from Ronnie Armour, the Department of Education’s top official, addressed to all schools. In his letter, Armour instructed headteachers to limit new staff appointments and reduce the use of substitute teachers as part of efforts to trim budgets. He emphasized the importance of these steps, stating, “It is essential that you take these measures and any other measures available to you as you work to reduce your in-year expenditure further.”
The letter revealed that the education system is confronted with a funding gap of £250 million, underscoring the severity of the financial challenge ahead. However, Sean McNamee, principal of St Paul’s Primary and Nursery School in west Belfast, expressed skepticism about the practicality of cutting costs. He pointed out the unavoidable expenses schools face, saying, “You can’t buy less toilet roll, you can’t not buy soap and paper towels.” According to McNamee, the only significant area for savings would be staffing, but schools are under pressure to maintain current staffing levels despite funding shortages. He explained the difficulty of minimizing substitute teacher use, noting, “If you’ve the right level of staffing and a teacher goes off sick you can’t not bring in a sub.”
Dr Graham Gault, head of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) in Northern Ireland, echoed concerns from school leaders, stressing that further cuts would impact essential services. In his interview with BBC News NI, he said, “There is nothing left to cut without reducing essential services for children.” Gault emphasized that schools are already operating with minimal resources, warning that additional reductions would threaten safety, wellbeing, and learning. He described the situation as “not a question of efficiency; it is a question of survival.”
The budgetary crisis has also drawn criticism from Education Minister Paul Givan, who described a proposed multi-year budget by Finance Minister John O’Dowd as a cause for “devastating cuts.” Givan warned that such financial measures could result in the withdrawal of school transport and cuts to vital organizations like the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment. On the other hand, First Minister Michelle O’Neill called for all ministers to work toward agreeing on a multi-year budget, though she acknowledged that funding from London remains “inadequate.” Meanwhile, teachers in Northern Ireland have been granted a 4% pay increase for 2025-26, an addition expected to cost around £38 million that year and £65 million annually going forward. Dr Gault highlighted the urgency for the executive to prioritize education funding, cautioning that expecting schools to absorb the £250 million shortfall is “unrealistic and irresponsible.
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