McGuinness defends school spending record
Martin McGuinness today warned unionists are inflicting huge psychological harm on their communities by accusing him of biased school funding.
The Stormont education minister mounted a staunch defence of his spending record amid allegations that his decisions were politically motivated.
Challenged by Sammy Wilson to explain allocations in the School Capital Build programme, Mr McGuinness laid out the figures for his three announcements since taking office.
The controlled sector received £132m (€208m - 40%); the maintained sector was given £113m (€179m - 34%); voluntary grammar was allocated £48m (€76m - 15%); and integrated schools received £35m (€55m - 11%).
He cautioned: ‘‘Given the figures that have been cited, some people should reflect on the psychology of the damage that they do within certain communities in the north by regurgitating, as they are inclined to do, this absolute nonsense.’’
During a fractious exchange in the Assembly, Mr Wilson (DUP, East Belfast) challenged him to explain why he said the integrated sector made up 5% of educational need while attracting 20% of funding over the past two years
He asked: ‘‘Is his allocation based on need or is it based on his own narrow, political agenda?’’
But Mr McGuinness hit back, declaring: ‘‘Anyone who advocates that resources should be allocated on a sectarian basis rather than on the basis of educational need is behaving like a sectarian bigot.’’
He added: ‘‘That is effectively saying to me as Minister of Education that I should only give money to schools on the basis of a Catholic/Protestant head count.
‘‘As Minister of Education I am not going to do that.
‘‘Whenever I make decisions vis a vis the School Capital Build programme I only make those decisions based on educational need.’’
Mr Wilson and Mr McGuinness had clashed during a stormy private session of the education committee at Stormont last week.
Rising to his feet today, the DUP man called on the minister to apologise for what he called his ‘‘loutish behaviour’’ during that encounter.
‘‘I’m sure he now realises that such behaviour is not becoming to a minister of the Crown,’’ he said.
But Mr McGuinness insisted he had nothing to apologise for.
‘‘In my opinion the member who has just spoken is speaking absolute nonsense, which is his forte, of course.’’
