Stormont education minister Paul Givan has defended the criteria used for identifying schools that could benefit from funding to tackle educational underachievement and disadvantage.
The DUP minister insisted on Wednesday that the eligibility criteria used to select schools for the RAISE programme is “very well evidence-based and reflects the needs within our wider society”.
His comments come The Irish News revealed concerns that the initiative, which is aimed at reducing “educational disadvantage”, could potentially provide money to a £5,000 a year prep school.
Wallace High Preparatory as well as Friends School, both in Lisburn, are among 400 primary and post-primary schools listed for potential inclusion in the £20 million programme.
The latter is ranked as having one of the most affluent enrolments in the north.
The scheme will deliver a range of educational supports in eligible schools in 15 areas across Northern Ireland and is being supported through the Irish government’s Shared Island Fund.
But questions were raised earlier this week over the eligibility criteria, with critics claiming schools in some of the most deprived areas in Northern Ireland are set to miss out while many grammar schools, including fee-paying institutions, will be able to access the funding.
One school principal told The Irish News it was “beyond puzzling”, while politicians called on the DUP minister to “go back to the drawing board, scrap his bizarre eligibility formula”.
On Wednesday, Mr Givan was joined by the Republic’s Education Minister Norma Foley on a series of school visits in Lisburn as they formally launched the RAISE initiative.
Asked about the issue as he visited Lisnagarvey High School, he said: “A key component around the criteria is educational underachievement.
“It’s based upon where the pupil lives, not necessarily the school that the pupil goes to, but there was a whole range of criteria applied to that, including a geographical spread right across Northern Ireland.
“I’m particularly pleased that every council area is involved in this, because that helps increase the collaboration between the department, but also our local authorities, because that speaks to the wider, whole community, societal response to how we can help in education.”
He added: “The criteria that’s been used, I think, is very well evidence-based and reflects the needs within our wider society.”
