Committee for Education Urges Minister to Intervene in Dispute

At today’s meeting of the Committee for Education, the Committee agreed to write to the Minister of Education to ask her as a matter of urgency to use her influence to ensure that the Classroom Assistants’ dispute comes to an end as soon as possible.

The Committee reminded the Minister that she told the Assembly on 24 September 2007 “I plan to intervene” in the dispute.

The Committee expressed its serious concerns that agreement will not be reached in the short term and children, who are already disadvantaged, will continue to suffer as a result. The Committee therefore asked the Minister what contingency plans are in place should this dispute continue.