Funding must be released for schools and public services following agreement to resume power-sharing says NAHT

Responding to the decision by the DUP to return to power-sharing at the Northern Ireland Assembly, Jackie Bartley, president of school leaders' union NAHT in Northern Ireland (NAHTNI) said:

“School leaders will welcome the decision by the DUP to return to the Northern Ireland Executive. We fully expect that the funding which should already be meeting the needs of Northern Ireland’s decimated public services will now be released by the Secretary of State with urgency.

“Discussions between the department, employing authorities and the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council (NITC) must be expedited in pursuit of a resolution to the ongoing dispute, following which, the NAHT will be ready, able and willing to work constructively with all parties to undo the damage that has been inflicted upon our schools in recent years.”