Education leaders have met to discuss the significant budgetary challenges facing the sector in Northern Ireland.
Permanent Secretary of the Department of Education (DE) Dr Mark Browne and the chairman of the board of the Education Authority (EA), Barry Mulholland, talked about the pressures facing education.
The meeting on Thursday was also attended by EA board members as well as senior DE and EA officials.
Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government for over a year due to the DUP’s boycott of powersharing institutions in protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements.
In the absence of a devolved executive, the budget for Northern Ireland was set by Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris, and decisions on budget allocation are to be taken by permanent secretaries in the absence of ministers.
The budget set by Mr Heaton-Harris left a funding gap in the hundreds of millions for a number of Stormont departments.
Following the meeting, Dr Browne said he is aware of the challenges that the education sector is facing amid inadequate funding.
“I remain extremely conscious of the significant challenges facing the education system in terms of the current financial situation, ongoing industrial action, inadequate school estate funding and rising numbers of pupils with Special Educational Needs,” he said.
