Citybeat Radio, 96.7-102.5fm

Posted: January 27, 2012

Education boards have been told to re-do reports on schools which they were asked to carry out last year.

Education Minister John O’Dowd said the work the five boards have done does not fulfil his requirements for clarifying the extent of the future challenges facing schools, so he has asked them to complete and resubmit their reports.

They had been told to carry out the first stage of a viability audit into all 1,200 schools in Northern Ireland.

They were to look at the finances, quality and numbers in each school.

The minister ordered the audits in September last year and said he was determined to improve the quality of education, even if it meant having to close schools.

Mr O’Dowd said there were too many empty places, now up to 85,000.

He told the Assembly this equated to more than 150 empty schools.

DUP MLA Mervyn Storey said: “This process to date has done nothing to allay the concerns of principals, teachers, governors and parents, that the real objective was to identify schools for closure.

“Today’s statement by the Education Minister will do nothing to dismiss that view but will only add to the suspicion and concern.”