NI Executive confirms £23m for schools PPE and university places

  • The NI Executive has agreed further Covid-19 funding of £22.93m for additional Higher Education places that may be required for the 2020/21 academic year, as well as school PPE costs.

    Announcing the allocations, Finance Minister Conor Murphy said: “Following the A Level results, a number of students have been awaiting confirmation of their university place.

    “I’m pleased to announce the Executive has agreed to provide up to £3.73m of contingency funding, to provide for additional university student places that may be required. This includes extra medical, nursing, midwifery and allied health professional places.

    “While the university admissions process is still ongoing, the Executive nevertheless wants to provide as much clarity and certainty as possible to both our universities and students. That is why we have committed to funding for additional places that may be required for the duration of the course. Future year funding will be ring-fenced for this as part of the upcoming Budget process.

    “A further £19.2m is also being provided for school PPE. This will assist education settings to continue to provide a safe learning environment for our children and young people.”

    RELATED: £42m in funding allocated to restart Northern Ireland's education sector

    The £3.73m breakdown includes £530,000 to the Department of Health for additional medical, nursing, midwifery and allied health professional places as part of future Covid-19 allocations.

    £3.2m has been set aside for the Department for the Economy as a contingency, subject to final confirmation of costs from the universities.

    Covid-19 funding allocations to date can be viewed at: https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/publications/covid-19-funding-allocations

    Source: Written based on press release

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    Niamh is a Sync NI writer with a previous background of working in FinTech and financial crime. She has a special interest in sports and emerging technologies. To connect with Niamh, feel free to send her an email or connect on Twitter.

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