Education: Jobs, buildings, class sizes and special needs threatened by cuts [belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
- Published: 17 December 2010
Massive cuts to the education budget mean a radical rethink of how services are delivered in Northern Ireland is needed, it has been warned.
Sammy Wilson’s draft Budget this week revealed a £67m reduction in education spending over the next four years.
Educationalists are warning the impact of this will be felt right across the vast sector.
Despite assurances from Education Minister Caitriona Ruane, there are fears frontline services will take a big hit, with grim predictions of compulsory redundancies for teachers, classroom assistants and other educational support staff.
Bureaucracy, which eats up around 40% of the annual budget, will also have to be streamlined in some way.
And schools that are already running deficits because of the lack of pupils may be forced to continue operating at a loss despite many not being fit for purpose — raising the unpopular prospect of returning to the controversial Public Private Partnerships arrangement to generate revenue for new infrastructure.
Ulster Unionist education spokesman Basil McCrea said: “Education will be hit particularly hard.
Full Story: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk
