“Two elections have now passed since the collapse of the Executive and Assembly, and after LE23 the message from voters is even clearer: it’s time to get back to work,” said Ms Egan.

“The time to restore our political institutions is long overdue. We were ready to get to work on day one, but have been shamefully held back from doing so by one party. Meanwhile, education has suffered cut after cut, with vital programmes and services being lost on an almost weekly basis in recent months.

“These cuts have been devastating and those who have blocked the restoration of the Executive and Assembly must take ownership over the significant impact of these cuts on our children and young people.

“A good education is a fundamental right for all children, and it is essential that adequate levels of funding are provided. Our children and young people deserve to be given the best possible start in life and that requires leadership to get the institutions back up and running and the appointment of an Education Minister.

“It is time political courage was shown to ensure the best interests of our children are prioritised. We need an Executive formed now, so the myriad of crises in our education system can be addressed.”