Latest news with #PaulGivan
Belfast Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
A neutral school uniform is ‘beneficial to all', committee hears
Members of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission put to MLAs that there should not be a requirement for boys and girls to dress differently. It came during an examination of the School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill. The Bill, which was introduced at the Northern Ireland Assembly by Education Minister Paul Givan, aims to make school uniforms more affordable, and includes scope for a potential uniform price cap to be set in future. Giving evidence to the committee on Tuesday morning, Colin Caughey, director of public policy at the commission, recommended that the word inclusivity be added to clause two of the Bill in terms of setting out what it intends to do. Chief Commissioner Alyson Kilpatrick said times have changed. 'A lot of girls now will say they are much more comfortable wearing a neutral uniform and not being required to wear skirts for example,' she told MLAs. 'That would fall within inclusivity. All children should feel comfortable.' Sinn Fein MLA Pat Sheehan asked for a view on including an option for girls to wear trousers instead of skirts to be included in the Bill to make it compliant with human rights law. Ms Kilpatrick said: 'It's clear that to require girls to wear skirts and boys to wear trousers or shorts, that is distinguishing between boys and girls for reason that isn't easily justifiable, certainly not anymore. 'It seems to me that there shouldn't be a requirement that boys and girls dress differently if the school wants to be inclusive, and if the department wants to require schools to be inclusive. 'There are all sorts of reasons why a neutral uniform would be beneficial to everybody.' The Bill is to make it a legal requirement for the Department of Education to make guidelines for schools; and for schools to follow those guidelines, addressing unfair costs aspects regarding their uniform requirements. But Ms Kilpatrick said she fears the Bill is too vague to bring any change in terms of the affordability of school uniforms. 'If you want something to happen, if you want it to change, there has to be specificity about what it is you're trying to change… if you simply say this is our idea of what might be appropriate then you're maybe giving too much discretion and allowing for a continuation of what happened before,' she said. 'Once you have made the decision as the department that you want things to change, I think you need to be prescriptive because nothing will change otherwise, and it becomes inconsistent across schools and what you have is a difficulty for the department to monitor what is happening at schools. 'Guidelines help, but guidelines must be, if they're going to change anything, statutory. You either have to have a statutory obligation to comply with the guidelines or you have it in the statutes so everyone knows exactly what it is that is being asked of them. 'If you want to see change, you have to be a lot clearer, and make it a requirement.'
Belfast Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
Concerns over ‘upskirting' prompt amendment to Stormont bill on school uniform
The School Uniforms (Guidelines and Allowances) Bill was formally introduced to the Assembly by Education Minister Paul Givan in February this year, with the bill completing its Second Stage on March 3.
Belfast Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Works begins on almost £45m worth of new school buildings in NI
The principal of a Co Down post primary school has said the beginning of work on a new £38m building is 'a significant milestone for the school community'. Clare Foster was speaking as Education Minister Paul Givan helped to cut the first sod on the project at Strangford Integrated College. It was one of two new school building projects to break ground on Thursday, with the minister also visiting Kilronan Special School in Magherafelt, where work began on a £4.9m extension to accommodation. 'Staff and students are excited to see the new building progress,' Ms Foster added as work officially commenced in Carrowdore. 'Since we opened our doors in 1997, Strangford Integrated College has continued to grow in numbers and reputation. This new building on our existing site will enable us to provide students with access to high quality integrated education in a modern, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient building in which our young people will continue to thrive and flourish. 'Our students deserve the best start in life, and we are looking forward to the opportunities that the enhanced school facilities and top-class sporting facilities will offer to both students and staff. 'A great deal of work has gone into getting to the new build project to this stage I would like to thank the Department of Education, project consultants AECOM and the Board of Governors for their support in making this happen.' News Catch Up - Thursday 22 May The Strangford Integrated College scheme is being funded under the Fresh Start capital programme and Mr Givan said he was delighted to see the progress being made. 'The significance of this £38m investment will be reflected in the many benefits it will deliver for pupils, families and staff and the wider community,' he said. 'This major project will provide modern new facilities that will support the teaching and learning needs of the pupils for many years to come and create an environment that helps them to thrive.' The minister also paid a visit to Magherafelt where work was getting underway on Kilronan School's new £4.9m single storey extension with new specialist classrooms, social areas and support accommodation as part of the School Enhancement Programme (SEP). It's the first of 10 special school projects to proceed, having been announced in the second tranche of 16 schools to receive a funding commitment in 2019. 'This is an exciting day for everyone at Kilronan, marking the start of a very important programme of construction,' the minister said. 'The investment of nearly £5m will deliver many benefits for pupils, school staff and local families. This project will provide modern facilities which will help children and young people to grow, thrive, learn and achieve their full potential.' Construction is due to be completed in late summer 2026 and Principal Sharlene Deehan said she was delighted to see work finally underway. 'Governors, staff, parents and pupils are delighted to be at this stage of our SEP Journey, and we are thankful to the previous principal, governors and staff who initiated the project many years ago. 'On completion the SEP should provide equality for our learners with their mainstream peers in terms of resourcing and experiences, providing a modern, bright building which will vastly enhance the day to day running for the ever changing profile of pupils, our dedicated and caring staff and indeed the whole school community.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thousands attend trans rights rally in Belfast city centre
Thousands of people have attended a trans rights rally in Belfast city centre. The March for Trans Rights was held on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. Organisers said the recent Supreme Court decision to legally define a woman by biological sex at birth for the purposes of the Equality Act was a huge attack on trans rights. The ruling has major implications for single-sex spaces in Great Britain, such as female changing rooms and toilets. The court had been asked to decide on the proper interpretation of the 2010 Equality Act, which applies across Great Britain but not in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland's Equality Commission has said it hopes to publish new formal guidance in June in response to the ruling. The commission said it would "advise all employers and service providers, including councils, to review any policies that the Supreme Court judgment may impact on". In recent days, Education Minister Paul Givan said he has asked officials to ensure his department is complying with the ruling. Alexa Moore, the policy, campaigns and communications manager at the Rainbow Project, said trans people have seen a "regression in our rights" across the UK and Northern Ireland. "We've seen with the puberty blocker ban that was instituted last year and now with the recent Supreme Court judgement on the definition of sex and the Equality Act," she told BBC News NI. "It's really an attempt in Northern Ireland to roll back rights and protections for trans communities and that's why people are out on the streets today." She added that the event saw "countless women's organisations and women just generally from the community out in support of trans people". "We're very clear, trans rights and women's rights are not in opposition, they are linked and you can't have one without the other." Autumn Hendrix said that trans people paved the way for him to live as a bisexual man. "It's just so important that we stand up for them." Tanya De Boer, who attended the event with her family, said the more people who are not trans stand up for this cause "the better, because they are a minority". She said she brought her kids to show them that "everybody deserves equal rights". "Individuals that don't identify with their assigned sex at birth should get to live a happy, healthy, inclusive, free life and restricting that is wrong," she added. "We want to be here to speak up for those people." A separate anti-LGBT rally took place outside Belfast City Hall at the same time. A few hundred gathered behind the main stage of the trans rally. Police kept both protests segregated. Belfast Pride latest to ban political parties from parade Protests held as puberty blocker ban extended to NI
BBC News
17-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Trans rights: Thousands attend march in Belfast city centre
Thousands of people have attended a trans rights rally in Belfast city March for Trans Rights was held on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and said the recent Supreme Court decision to legally define a woman by biological sex at birth for the purposes of the Equality Act was a huge attack on trans rights. The ruling has major implications for single-sex spaces in Great Britain, such as female changing rooms and toilets. The court had been asked to decide on the proper interpretation of the 2010 Equality Act, which applies across Great Britain but not in Northern Ireland's Equality Commission has said it hopes to publish new formal guidance in June in response to the ruling. The commission said it would "advise all employers and service providers, including councils, to review any policies that the Supreme Court judgment may impact on".In recent days, Education Minister Paul Givan said he has asked officials to ensure his department is complying with the ruling. Alexa Moore, the policy, campaigns and communications manager at the Rainbow Project, said trans people have seen a "regression in our rights" across the UK and Northern Ireland."We've seen with the puberty blocker ban that was instituted last year and now with the recent Supreme Court judgement on the definition of sex and the Equality Act," she told BBC News NI."It's really an attempt in Northern Ireland to roll back rights and protections for trans communities and that's why people are out on the streets today."She added that the event saw "countless women's organisations and women just generally from the community out in support of trans people". "We're very clear, trans rights and women's rights are not in opposition, they are linked and you can't have one without the other." Autumn Hendrix said that trans people paved the way for him to live as a bisexual man."It's just so important that we stand up for them." Tanya De Boer, who attended the event with her family, said the more people who are not trans stand up for this cause "the better, because they are a minority". She said she brought her kids to show them that "everybody deserves equal rights"."Individuals that don't identify with their assigned sex at birth should get to live a happy, healthy, inclusive, free life and restricting that is wrong," she added."We want to be here to speak up for those people." A separate anti-LGBT rally took place outside Belfast City Hall at the same time.A few hundred gathered behind the main stage of the trans kept both protests segregated.
