Department’s U-turn on essential education funding is welcomed

FUNDING cuts that were due to come into effect later this month and which would’ve impacted a number of youth services and early years programmes, will now not be going ahead.

Northern Ireland’s Department of Education announced a u-turn on the cuts on Thursday, that would have impacted thousands of people.

In a statement the Permanent Secretary for Department for Education Dr Mark Browne said that given the scale and impact of the cuts he believed they were “a decision that should be taken by a minister, not a permanent secretary.”

Had the cuts gone ahead, the education and community sectors from across the North would themselves have been forced to make massive spending cuts to remain open, including mass redundancies.

Some other organisations would have had to close.

The programmes previously deemed to be affected included the Pathway Fund, Sure Start, Bright Start and Toybox.

One of the groups that would have been affected is Camowen Smart Kids in Beragh; a large part of their staffing costs are covered by the Bright Start fund.

Julie McElduff who is the leader of Camowen Smart Kids said, “I am ecstatic and delighted that this announcement has come. We are so relieved that we have funding at least for another year. We have tried to balance the books as much as possible and make cuts and increase prices but even so, we thought we might have to close.

“The only downside of the announcement is how late it has come. It has hurt so many families and staff from different groups already.”

The West Tyrone MP Órfhlaith Begley who attended a number of anti-cuts rallies last week welcomed the announcement.

She said, “News that cuts to youth services and early years programmes such as the Pathway Fund, Sure Start, Bright Start and Toybox will not go ahead will be a relief for many families and communities…

“I want to commend the local organisations such as Sure Start and Camowen Smart Kids who mounted a challenge to these proposals which would have meant a significant loss of funding and I am delighted their voices have been heard.”

Former Omagh UUP Councillor Matthew Bell who has been vocal on the issue and lobbied against the cuts said, “I am absolutely delighted to learn that the Education Authority will not be progressing with the proposed cuts to the Pathway Funding, Sure Start, Brightstart or Toybox.

“The cumulative impact of these cuts would have had a profound negative impact on our young people’s education.”