The umbrella body for Northern Ireland’s main teaching unions has said it is concerned by recent personnel changes among senior staff at the Department of Education.
The past month has seen the permanent secretary at DUP minister Paul Givan’s department replaced by an interim appointment, while other senior staff have been transferred to new roles.
There has been no official announcement about any of the changes, a number of which are understood to be part of a reorganisation ordered by Mr Givan.
The Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council (NITC) has highlighted what its secretary termed the “lack of communication of key information”.
According to a department spokesperson, “it is not unusual to make personnel changes to improve operational efficiency and to reflect ministerial priorities”.
Former prisons’ chief Ronnie Armour was appointed interim permanent secretary following a period of absence by his predecessor Mark Browne.
The circumstances around the absence of Mr Browne, a civil servant with 40 years’ experience, are not known.
The Department of Education has directed all queries to the Executive Office, which has failed to comment for the past week.
NITC secretary Mark McTaggart said the department’s failure to communicate “high level changes” to sectoral stakeholders was " extremely worrying”.
“The NITC is concerned that in the past number of weeks the permanent secretary Dr Mark Browne appears to have vacated his position, and yet there has been no official notification of these high level changes,” he said.
“This comes along with further changes within the Department of Education, again with no communication to trade union side.”
Mr McTaggart the NITC members are “committed to working together with management side in ensuring our children and young people have access to the highest level of education and support available.
“This lack of communication of key information is therefore extremely worrying,” he said.
A spokesperson for Mr Givan’s department said: " It is not unusual to make personnel changes to improve operational efficiency and to reflect ministerial priorities.
“The department operates subject to the direction and control of the minister.”
