20/06/2005

Education minister adds to schools budgets

Education Minister Angela Smith has announced a £12.5 million boost in funding for schools, following widespread opposition by politicans, unions and education boards to a plan to implement budget cuts of £30 million.

Ms Smith said the money is to be used for school dinners, maintenance and special education.

She said: “I have met with schools, boards, unions and political representatives, and the Secretary of State has agreed that additional funding should be provided to meet the pressures they identified in special education and to improve the quality of school meals. It is for this reason that the government is providing the boards with £4 million to deal with these major strategic issues and this is conditional on boards providing me with robust plans.”

The announcement follows a one-day strike in protest at the proposed cuts by members of Nipsa, Unison and T&G in May.

(CD)

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