The education unions in Northern Ireland, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), the National Education Union (NEU), and the Ulster Teachers' Union (UTU) have united to launch a joint education manifesto ahead of the forthcoming General Election.
The future of education can significantly influence voter decisions in the upcoming General Election on 4 July 2024.
The Ulster Teachers’ Union (UTU), National Education Union (NEU), and Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) believe it is time to move past political stalemates and divisions on education and start listening to those who truly understand the issues – the teachers, school leaders and education staff working in schools.
Education must be well resourced, with fully qualified teachers and educational staff who are appropriately paid and supported to deliver life-changing learning to our young people.
We urge everyone – parents, grandparents and anyone with an interest in education or the future of our community – to join the UTU, NEU and INTO in sending a clear message to all political parties. Each child matters and each vote counts.
Here are some questions to ask prospective candidates and political representatives as they campaign for YOUR VOTE in the General Election:
Education Funding
- How will you fight for a fully funded education budget, crucial for our children’s future and our economy?
- Smaller classes are often seen as beneficial, because they allow teachers to focus more on the needs of individual students. At the primary level, the average class in The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries is 21 pupils. At lower secondary level, average class size in OECD countries is 23 students. How will you address increased class sizes?
Education Workforce
- What actions will you and your party take to prevent recruitment and retention issues from endangering teaching and non-teaching positions in education?
- What steps will you take to advocate for teachers and school leaders to ensure that their overwhelming workloads are significantly reduced?
Special educational needs
Regarding Special education needs how will you and your party progress special educational needs (SEN) so that children across all areas have equal opportunities to access education which best suits them as individuals?
- How do you plan to fund and resource SEN in our current system and situation?