Education and Skills.
SDLP Youth remains committed to a policy of funding education as a public good, including putting an end to tuition fees as is the SDLP policy. The core aims of our policies on Education are what is best for both students and our education workers.
We are opposed to academic selection, a system which results in dramatic inequality in education and puts young children through a needlessly stressful process. An education system which welcomes and supports all children in deciding their own educational pathway is vital and we will continue to work to end this outdated and unfair system.
In addition, the SDLP, with the support of SDLP Youth, is committed to the expansion of the Magee campus to 10,000 student places through direct government funding, North South structural funds and further government support.
We support the development of a Medical School in Derry to address decades of economic inequality and long standing workforce challenges, to provide much needed primary care capacity west of the Bann.
We also believe in funding for apprenticeships at all levels, including higher-level apprenticeship which are vital to improve training, skills opportunities for young people and in our overall productivity. We would like to see an increase in funding of these opportunities, and direct support provided to universities, colleges and employers to further expand the number of Higher-Level Apprenticeships.
Our General Education policies.
SDLP Youth is campaigning for:
a guaranteed right to access to meaningful education and training, ensuring that no-one is left without relevant qualifications.
a guaranteed one year’s free pre-school education for all children in Northern Ireland.
the Minister for Education to liaise with schools in order to encourage them to hire young graduates as substitute teachers, in order to help resolve the current crisis wherein numerous teaching graduates are unable to find work and to help improve the future quality of teaching by providing graduates with better experience.
greater action from ETI to assist schools and teachers in reaching better standards of quality education for all students and closely monitor the performance of individual educators.
the increase of multilingualism in Northern Ireland by using the Danish model.
the provision of 30 hours of free childcare and greater investment into early childhood development, with the intention of expanding the provision of 30 hours of free childcare to 35.
a multi-faith qualification that ensures teachers are qualified to teach children about a number of different religious and cultural viewpoints in addition to maintaining the CCMS certificate for Catholic education.
greater rights for classroom assistants with regards to pay, leave and support.
The implementation of a science-based inclusive sexual education with regards to consent, orientation, gender identity and contraception.
The delivery of an education system which safeguards the welfare of all pupils, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Department of Education takes robust action to tackle homophobic bullying in schools, and ensure all schools include strategies to combat homophobic harassment in their behavioural policies.
That all teachers and non-teaching staff should be adequately trained to deal effectively with tackling homophobic attitudes and teaching the sensitivity of LGBT+ issues.
That an appropriate mechanism is put in place to ensure that complaints from pupils and their families are dealt with regarding a school’s Board of Governors or Headmaster.
The integration of sexual orientation and gender identity into the Northern Ireland curriculum.
Our Integration Policies.
SDLP Youth is campaigning for:
an active drive towards integrating education, and ending the subsidisation of the segregation of Catholic and Protestant children.
measures to be introduced offering extra funding to schools that can highlight that they have increased the number of students in their school form other religious communities.
the Minister for Education to engage with schools and colleges in order to set up more Sharing Education Programme (SEP) partnerships and to allow them to be made available to GCSE students.
the SDLP vision of true integration, which teaches and allows children to experience a number of different religious and cultural experiences, be it Unionist, Gaelic, or other.
for shared education, but only as a stepping stone to true integration with children being educated together in one classroom.
Our Primary Education Policies.
SDLP Youth is campaigning for:
the Department of Education to place more focus on the teaching of foreign languages, ensuring that the teaching of foreign languages becomes a clear part of the primary school curriculum and that the teaching of languages begins as soon as possible.
a continued opposition to any attempt to regress on the removal of the 11+, and support for schools to explore alternative practices, such as streaming and skills based selection at 14.
Our Secondary Education Policies.
SDLP Youth is campaigning for:
for a new model of post-primary education which puts focus on each student’s skills and interests, rather than measuring them all against an academic standard.
the Minister for Education to allow for a greater amount of time to be dedicated to assisting all students, and to important life skills classes, such as home economics, PE or food and nutrition education.
for the implementation of a longer school year in order to allow for a greater amount of time to be set aside for important life skills classes, such as Home Economics or Food and Nutrition Education.
Our Tertiary Education Policies.
SDLP Youth is campaigning for:
the Executive increases investment in the language departments of Queen’s University Belfast and University of Ulster to increase vacancy for students to study language based courses.
The reversal of the cuts that have been made by the former Department of Employment and Learning to tertiary education over the past few years. This includes the decision to cancel the expansion of the University of Ulster at Magee and the cuts made to the student hardship fund.
the Minister for the Economy to engage with the Universities and Further Education Colleges to establish extra-curricular schemes and schemes preparing students for life and work.
the development of a coding college in Northern Ireland and the focus of the whole curriculum towards developing skills in computers and modern technology.
better provision for further education and the creation of a Northern Irish Technical College, that will offer courses and experience that will allow people who do not wish to learn a trade or craft.
continuation of the party’s campaign against tuition fees, and greater financial support to allow students to pursue further and higher education regardless of their financial background.
the establishment of the Limerick model of mandatory paid placement year for all graduates of higher and further education in Northern Ireland, funded by a partnership between businesses who take part and the state.
the legal provision in Northern Ireland for autonomous students’ unions.
continued opposition to financial cuts to third level education, which have detrimental effects on LGBT+ students.
Our Apprenticeships Policies.
SDLP Youth is campaigning for:
the Northern Ireland Executive to increase their commitment and investment in getting our young people into work. By creating apprenticeships and work placements in our Councils, in our private sector and building foreign connections for investment. This can be achieved through the development of a strategy to engage youth with the business community regarding youth entrepreneurship.
greater support for further education, and meaningful and paid apprenticeships and internships that offer comprehensive skill development.
Our Magee College Policies.
SDLP Youth is campaigning for:
the expansion of Magee College to 9,400 FTEs.
the First Minister and deputy First Minister to secure necessary funding from the Executive to resource the expansion of Magee.
the First Minister and deputy First Minister to liaise directly with the University of Ulster and Minister for Education and the Minister for the Economy to ensure expansion at the Magee campus is fully delivered.
the Northern Ireland Executive to collectively deliver on the expansion of the Magee campus of the University of Ulster, and on the First Minister and deputy First Minister to give a commitment that this key economic driver for the future of the North West is specifically referenced and funded as part of the future Programme for Government.