NI Schools Estate Faces Funding Challenge: Audit Office Report

A new report from the Northern Ireland Audit Office has revealed that the region's schools' estate, while a valuable asset, faces significant challenges due to funding constraints.

The report highlights the need for substantial repair and upgrade work to bring many school buildings up to modern safety, accessibility, and functionality standards. However, it acknowledges that the Department of Education is primarily focused on maintaining the safety and operation of schools within the current funding limitations. 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.