Disappointment at decision to halve shared education budget at NI schools
Disappointment has been voiced over a decision to halve the budget for shared education at schools in Northern Ireland.
Shared education funding brings pupils from schools in different sectors in the region's education system to work together for a range of initiatives.
A letter from the Education Authority said the 50% cut for the next financial year was due to the financial climate, according to reports.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said while the funding for shared education will be less than last year, the Education Authority will be "working with partnerships to maximise the available resource".
They said funding from April 2024 onwards will be dependent on future budget allocations.
It comes as budgets across the departments are facing cuts in the latest budget which was set by Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris in the absence of locally elected ministers.
The Stormont Assembly remains effectively collapsed amid protest action by the DUP as the party calls for the London government to address its concerns around Brexit's Northern Ireland Protocol.
The Transferor Representatives' Council (TRC), which represents the three main Protestant churches in education, said it is "deeply disappointed" by the decision.
It said before the coronavirus pandemic, more than 87,000 children and young people were involved in shared education projects.
"As we continue to emerge from the worst effects of Covid, it is vital that we promote and encourage the growth of shared education, which enables staff and pupils from different backgrounds to work together on a regular basis, bringing significant educational, social and community benefits," it said.
"This also includes giving pupils the opportunity to study subjects at GCSE level at their partner schools that are not taught at their own."
The TRC said the reduction of the funding will "disproportionately impact" schools in the controlled and Catholic maintained sectors.
It said this will not only be to the detriment of children and young people, but also to good relations across society.
"This is on top of significant cuts to other areas of the education budget, many of which are specifically targeted towards providing a better start for the most vulnerable children among us," the TRC said.
"TRC is deeply concerned about this direction of travel, not least because of the endemic underfunding of the education system in recent years. Cuts to funding are short-sighted, especially when the impact of these decisions on the mental and physical wellbeing of children and young people will be significant.
"TRC calls on all in government to reconsider this negative impact on the most vulnerable in society and give education the proper funding it requires, and particularly in the area of shared education."
The teacher's trade union INTO condemned the cut decision as "short-sighted".
Marie O'Shea, INTO assistant northern secretary, said the "internationally acclaimed" shared education programmes have "provided for high-quality pupil-to-pupil engagements at a local level".
"Sometimes these partnerships provided the only opportunity for children and young people to engage with others from different religions, traditions and backgrounds," she said.
"The transferable skills gained by young people from participating in these opportunities have contributed towards the breaking down of divisions across our society.
"Schools do not have capacity in their already decimated budgets to self-fund this work moving forward.
"Again, the short-sightedness of these decisions will set back the work of these school partnerships for many years to come and disrupt their work towards a shared prosperity."
A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: "The department has provided £2 million of funding in this financial year to support and sustain pupil engagement in those schools and pre-school settings involved in shared education partnerships through phase 1 of the Mainstreaming Shared Education Strategy.
"The funding will allow these partnerships to complete term 3 of the 2022/23 academic year as planned, with around 45,000 children and young people benefiting from learning with their peers from different religious and socio-economic backgrounds this year.
"The funding will also allow those shared education partnerships to continue pupil engagement into the first two terms of the 2023/24 academic year.
"Although the funding is less than last year, the Education Authority will be working with partnerships to maximise the available resource to ensure as many children and young people are able to engage in quality shared learning experiences.
"Funding from April 2024 onwards will be dependent on future budget allocations."