He was speaking following discussions at committee today (14 Jan).

Mr Mathison has said: “Nearly 10 years on from when the DUP took control of the Education Ministry, the system and our schools are at breaking point.

“With the current minister having overspent by hundreds of millions and yet still having schools that are struggling to operate within budget while delivering for our children, questions must be asked around how he is focusing his time and limited resource.

“This includes the vast amount of money spent on Strule, without a business plan, the creation of the Controlled Schools Unit as opposed to a single management authority, only adding more bureaucracy to our schools system, and TransformEd, which is rushing through curriculum reforms without proper consultation.

“One glaring, historic inefficiency, however, is the lack of will from both this minister and those that came before him to commit to transforming the education system and estate. To removing duplication and division in order to improve delivery for children, young people and those that work in the sector. This must be looked into as a long-term future plan, alongside measures to ensure we have the right number of schools in the right places, or the situation we’re in will only continue to get worse.

“The DUP has held this portfolio since May 2016. What we’ve seen since is more bureaucracy, a failure to support our children with additional needs, and a commitment to maintaining division and duplication in the school estate while buildings crumble. Looking forward, a step change is needed if we’re to see these inefficiencies properly tackled.”