Education Minister Paul Givan MLA: Empowering children to thrive
As Education Minister for Northern Ireland, I am committed to reshaping our education system into one that is world-leading, equitable, and inclusive, writes Minister Paul Givan MLA.
Education is the foundation of a thriving, prosperous, and inclusive society, equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to succeed in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
However, our system faces significant challenges: underfunding, rising demand for Special Educational Needs provision, and a curriculum that has not kept pace with international developments. International assessments show that our education system has not kept pace with the world’s best. Industrial action and structural debates have for too long diverted focus from what matters most: what children learn, how they learn, and for what purpose. There is an urgent need for renewal and reform.
It is my aspiration to ensure that every child regardless of background, identity, ability, or need is seen, valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.
That aspiration may be ambitious, but it is one that I am certain can be achieved with the right expertise, the right framework for delivery, and above all the sustained effort and commitment of the people that we need to turn the aspiration into the reality.
My vision for education is a modern, forward-looking education system, scaffolded by a sustainable funding model, guided by robust evidence and evaluation, and informed by learning from international best practice.
Since I took on the role of Education Minister, I have begun the process of moving our education system towards that vision.
Over the past year, I have looked beyond Northern Ireland to engage and learn from world-leading education systems to shape my priorities. The global evidence is clear. An effective education system is marked by wider coherence, alignment, and investment in curriculum, assessment, qualifications, accountability, and professional development.
These are the building blocks of a world-leading education system that equips every child, regardless of background, with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to thrive in an ever-changing world.
In March 2025, I launched the TransformED Strategy for Educational Excellence which is centred on those five critical areas.
TransformED is the most systematic programme of educational reform in over a generation, designed to learn from the world’s best-performing education systems and to address the specific needs of Northern Ireland. At its core are excellence, equity, and inclusion.
TransformED marks a generational shift in our approach. It moves away from short-term fixes and structural arguments, focusing instead on core classroom priorities.
TransformED is a vision of a future education system that can compete with the best in the world.
The TransformED Delivery Plan, published in April 2025 translates provides a detailed roadmap, specifying actions, delivery partners, timelines, and costs to ensure accountability
It is a plan for landmark curriculum reform. A plan that places unprecedented emphasis on investing in high-quality professional learning. A plan that challenges us to harness the capabilities of new technology like artificial intelligence to be part of the solution to the problems inherited from the past and prepare us for the future needs of our children and young people, our society, and our economy.
“When we get education right, we unlock opportunities for every child, we close the gaps of disadvantage and we build a prosperous, inclusive, and united future.”
Minister of Education, Paul Givan MLA
For too long, we have been caught in debates about structures and systems, relying on the extraordinary talent of our educators to deliver results despite outdated frameworks and limited support. TransformED is a decisive break with that past.
No strategy to transform education, no matter how ambitious, can succeed without the expertise, passion, and leadership of our school leaders and teachers. I believe my plans for reform have the potential to not only help support our teachers, but to reinvigorate that passion for teaching that led them to choose their vocation.
Great teaching transforms lives. I can testify to that from my own school experience as many others can, but I have also seen evidence of that from across the world. Research consistently shows that teacher quality is the single most important in-school factor in shaping our children’s outcomes. That’s why I am rolling our professional development on the science of learning to all post-primary schools and have committed £27 million over the next three years to establish a Teacher Professional Learning Fund to support teachers to access cutting-edge, evidence-based training that enhances practice and empowers change where it matters most; in our classrooms.
Through other initiatives like the Making Best Practice, Common Practice Programme, we are already seeing the tangible benefits of this approach.
The reform of Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision is key to delivering an education system that ensures children and young people with SEN can benefit from greater inclusion and receive the right support, from the right people, at the right time, and in the right place.
In February 2025 I published my SEN Reform Agenda and five-year Delivery Plan. Developed in conjunction with parents, practitioners and academics, this sets out the most ambitious programme of reform for SEN in a generation.
The £20 million RAISE programme, funded through the Shared Island Initiative, will tackle educational disadvantage head-on, raising attainment in communities that need it most.
Plans to legislate for all young people to remain in education or training until age 18 will keep more of our young people engaged and equipped for the future.
Transformation will take time and will require sustained funding; but I am fully committed to driving forward this agenda and realising the aspirations that I believe we can achieve together. It is a once-in-generation opportunity to build an education system that prepares our young people for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
When we get education right, we unlock opportunities for every child, we close the gaps of disadvantage and we build a prosperous, inclusive, and united future. That is where I want Northern Ireland to be, and I believe that I have set in motion the actions we need to get us there.
