THE education committee has called for a "long-term, multi-year funding commitment by the executive" to accompany recommendations set out to tackle educational underachievement.
The Fair Start report, published this year by the Expert Panel on Educational Underachievement, made several recommendations.
Commissioned as part of the New Decade, New Approach deal, the panel was set up in September 2020 to examine the links between educational underachievement and socio-economic background and included members from academia, school principals and community educational advocates.
It identified eight major areas where improvement was needed in the north's education system and also included 13 recommendations.
It suggested increased support for the professional learning and well-being of school leadership and enhanced professional training for teachers.
Around £4 million had been set aside by the Department of Education towards work to address the imbalance in achievement across the system.
But Chris Lyttle, chairman of the education committee, last night said a "long-term" funding commitment was needed.
"The committee is very pleased to see the release of the action plan which accompanies this important report," he said.
"This robust work is of the greatest importance and we pledge to ensure that it is followed by real action.
"We also believe that, in order to achieve a better outcome for all children, the action plan contained in the report must be coupled with a long-term, multi-year funding commitment by the executive.
"This is the only way that we can finally break the link between socio-economic status and educational attainment."
