Minister welcomes Northern Ireland Audit Office Report on the schools’ estate
Date published:
A report issued today by the Northern Ireland Audit Office has highlighted that the Northern Ireland schools’ estate is a valuable asset but funding constraints present a key challenge to management and maintenance of the estate.
The report sets out that many school buildings require significant repair and upgrades to meet modern standards of safety, accessibility and functionality. It concludes that in the current funding context, the Department is focused on keeping schools open and safe.
Commenting on the Report, Education Minister, Paul Givan said: "There has been historic under-investment in the schools’ estate. We are now facing a twin crisis of an ageing schools’ estate and requiring large numbers of additional specialist places for rapidly increasing numbers of children with Special Educational Needs."
Continuing, the Minister said: "I welcome today’s Report by the Audit Office which brings into sharp focus the maintenance backlog across the schools’ estate and the challenges faced in managing the estate effectively including funding availability and rising construction costs. Children across Northern Ireland have the right to be educated in schools which are comfortable and safe, are of good quality and are properly designed and resourced to support their learning. This will require a significant step change in the level of capital investment by the Northern Ireland Executive."
The Department of Education will work over coming months to implement the recommendations of the Report.
Notes to editors:
- The schools’ estate currently includes 1,116 schools with an estimated capital value of £4billion.
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