Northern Irish schools face funding crisis, PAC report finds

NI education minister Paul Givan has said Northern Ireland’s schools face a “capital funding crisis” following the release of a Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on the management of the school estate.

The report, which was published today (16 October), examined long-standing issues in school infrastructure and funding and highlighted “chronic underinvestment”.

In light of this, Givan warned that financial pressures had left the Department of Education unable to carry out essential maintenance.

Givan said: “Severe and unsustainable financial pressures have left my Department unable to carry out routine maintenance or invest in long-term improvements. Instead, we’ve had to stretch resources to cover only the most urgent, health-and-safety-related repairs – a reactive approach that, as the report rightly highlights, cannot continue.”

The minister said the most acute strain was in Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision, where the cost of emergency placements had risen from £9m in 2019 to a projected £85m this year, an increase of 850% in six years.

He added: “In line with one of the PAC’s key recommendations, I have submitted a ten-year, £1.7bn Special Educational Needs investment plan to the Executive. This strategic proposal is designed to address long-term infrastructure needs and ensure that children with SEN are supported in appropriate, high-quality learning environments.”

Givan also called for “urgent, cross-party support” to secure the necessary investment, warning that continued underfunding would have “real consequences for pupils, staff, and communities”.

The Department of Education said it would provide a formal response to the PAC’s recommendations through a detailed Memorandum of Reply in due course.