17 June 2026
SDLP Opposition Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA has said a growing maintenance backlog and warnings about potential school closures should be a wake-up call for the Executive.
She was commenting after the Education Authority warned that schools, or parts of schools, could face closure due to maintenance issues and revealed a backlog of repairs estimated to be worth more than £600 million.
East Derry MLA Cara Hunter said:
“This report, the revelation of a school maintenance backlog of more than £600 million and the warning that schools could face closure due to a failure to carry out repairs should set alarm bells ringing across the Executive.
“Schools across the North are in dire need of repairs and, in some cases, entirely new buildings. The failure to carry out routine maintenance and deal with issues like mould, collapsing roofs and out of date facilities has allowed problems to worsen over time, driving up costs and leaving pupils and staff to deal with the consequences.
“We have already seen schools forced to close parts of their buildings and, in some instances, close altogether. Portacabins have become part of daily life in far too many schools. What were intended as temporary measures have become a long-term reality because schools cannot get the investment they need. That has a real impact on pupils' educational experience and on the wider school community.
“The SDLP has repeatedly highlighted the cost of failing to prioritise routine maintenance to both the Education Minister and the Education Authority. The Minister and Executive must now set out how they intend to address this growing crisis and prevent our school estate from crumbling before our eyes.”