First aid kits, soap and stationary are among items that schools in Northern Ireland are struggling to provide, according to a teaching union representative.
Graham Gault from the National Association of Head Teachers said replacing out-of-date ICT equipment is another issue facing schools.
He made the comments as representatives from the Northern Ireland Teaching Council (NITC) appeared before Stormont’s education committee.
He told MLAs that schools are in urgent need of funding amid cuts of £70 million to the Department of Education’s budget.
“It cannot be the case that what was expected of schools 13 years ago is expected now - they don’t have the resource,” he said.
Dr Gault added that some schools are unable to replace out-of-date ICT equipment.
“This is basic stuff, even keeping the lights on, we have to do so much better,” he said.
He said it will “take a generation” to solve problems facing the sector.
The Education Authority said in October that schools in the north were expected to be around £60 million in the red in 2023/24 due to the overall education budget was cut.
