Northern Ireland school funding crisis strengthens case for ending religious segregation

Northern Ireland’s school funding crisis strengthens the case for ending religious segregation in education and moving towards a single, inclusive school system, Northern Ireland Humanists has said.

According to new Education Authority figures, schools across Northern Ireland carried forward a combined deficit of more than £173 million at the end of the 2025/26 financial year. This is an increase of around £70 million over the year. The Department of Education has described the scale of school deficits as ‘stark’. 

The cost of segregated schools

The figures come amid renewed criticism of the cost of maintaining Northern Ireland’s divided education system. Responding to the figures, Chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Education Committee and Alliance MLA Nick Mathison said: 

‘Educating our children in a divided system continues to cost us millions of pounds each year.’

Northern Ireland Humanists has long argued that maintaining separate schools along religious lines is both socially damaging and an inefficient use of public money. It campaigns for an inclusive education system in which children of all religions and beliefs are educated together.

Northern Ireland Humanists Coordinator Boyd Sleator commented:

‘Northern Ireland is spending scarce education funding on maintaining a divided school system while individual schools are falling into the red.

‘We have long argued that separating children according to outdated religious traditions is bad for community relations and bad for equality. These figures underline that there is a financial cost to division too.

‘Instead of continuing to prop up parallel systems of education, the Education Minister should set out a clear plan for a single, inclusive system where children of all religions and beliefs learn together.’