The SDLP has condemned the decision to use a Petition of Concern to block the Irish-medium Education Bill, describing it as a cynical abuse of power that lays bare the urgent need for Stormont reform.

The Bill would place a duty on the Department of Education to develop a workforce plan for the Irish-medium sector, which now supports more than 7,800 children across the North. 

SDLP Education Spokesperson Cara Hunter MLA said:

"The Petition of Concern is supposed to be used to defend minority rights, not to block educational opportunity for children. Its use against this Bill is a clear abuse of power. 

“It also lays bare a deeper problem at the heart of Stormont. The SDLP has consistently called for reform of Stormont to unlock a new politics focused on the common good, where our leaders are judged by their ability to deliver for people, not by their capacity to block progress.  The use of a Petition of Concern to block educational opportunity for thousands of children shows exactly why that reform is needed.

"This is a modest, practical Bill that would help ensure that Irish-medium schools have the teachers and support staff they need. It threatens nobody and takes nothing away from any other sector.

"The fact that some parties have chosen to deploy the Petition of Concern against a workforce planning bill speaks volumes about the poverty of their argument.

"Irish belongs to everyone.  More and more parents are choosing Irish-medium education for their children. The responsible thing to do is plan for that growth. Instead, opponents have chosen obstruction over solutions.

"Irish-medium schools should not have to fight for resources and recognition. Schools should not have to struggle to recruit teachers because of political hostility towards the Irish language. The politics of division and culture wars is a dead end. 

“The SDLP is committed to building a confident, shared society, where diversity is celebrated, and where every tradition is treated with dignity and respect.”