McGrath: Children losing out to Stormont stalemate.
SDLP Children and Young People Spokesperson Colin McGrath MLA, a former youth worker in Downpatrick, has said that children are becoming a critical casualty of the failure to restore inclusive power-sharing government in the North.
The South Down MLA was responding to a Northern Ireland Affairs Committee report which described budgetary pressures on schools as ‘unmanageable’.
He said: “I don’t know how many reports or how many letters from principals begging for voluntary donations from parents it will take before the message registers that our schools are in crisis. The failure to get to grips with the very serious challenges in education on issues such as teachers’ pay, additional resources for SEND, tackling underachievement in working class communities, is a dereliction of our responsibility to today’s children.
“Without an Education Minister to provide strategic direction with a well-resourced budget to deal with the challenges we’re facing, there is no respite for the parents, teachers and school leaders who are carrying the can for political failure. It’s unacceptable.
“I got into politics to help build a better future for everyone in our community but particularly for young people. I can’t think of a stronger motivation for parties to come together, compromise and restore an inclusive power-sharing government.”
Mr McGrath explained he was appalled at the findings of the report, especially the high level of children who suffer from autism who are not being properly cared for in local schools.
The report says: “As long as the Assembly remains absent, the normal routes through which elected representatives would usually scrutinise education in Northern Ireland are unavailable. As a result, it has not been possible to scrutinise properly the delivery of this vital public service, or to hold decision-makers to account. This is an unacceptable state of affairs. We recommend that, as long as the Assembly remains absent, the Department of Education and the Education Authority commit to appearing at our Committee at least annually to provide an update on the state of education funding…
“The political deadlock at Stormont has meant that the education system has been unable to respond to the urgent challenges facing schools. Educators told us that with no political solution in sight, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland should be prepared to take decisions so that the school system can make progress on existing policy priorities.”
Check out the link at:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmniaf/1497/149704.htm#_idTextAnchor006
