Ten years of cuts for 5,000 schools Budget funding all wrong’
20m in world famine threat
A LOOMING worldwide famine threatens more than 20 million people in four of the planet’s poorest countries, the United Nations has warned.
It says mankind is facing its largest humanitarian crisis since 1945 and is issuing a plea for help to avoid “a catastrophe”.
UN humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien said that millions of people faced the threat of starvation and famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria.
Unicef has already warned 1.4 million children could starve to death this year.
Mr O’Brien said £3.6billion was needed by July to avert disaster.
He told the UN Security Council: “We stand at a critical point in history.
“Already, at the beginning of the year, we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations.
“Now, more than 20 million people across four countries face starvation and famine.
“Without collective and co-ordinated global efforts, people will simply starve to death. Many more will suffer and die from disease.
“Children stunted and out of school. Livelihoods, futures and hope will be lost. Communities’ resilience rapidly wilting away. Development gains reversed.
“Many will be displaced and will continue to move in search for survival, creating evermore instability across entire regions.” MORE than 5,000 of the most hard-pressed schools could be denied any extra cash for the next 10 years.
It means heads will have to fire teachers, drop courses or cut hours.
Education Secretary Justine Greening’s new funding formula is billed as providing a safety net. But the National Union of Teachers says 5,333 schools will be given flat cash settlements to struggle along, with no extra funding in sight until 2027.
Yet they will still face additional costs, such as higher employer pension and national insurance contributions. The NUT says it will make 98 per cent of schools worse off by 2020.
Chancellor Philip Hammond pledged £216million in Wednesday’s Budget but £ 320million went to building 110 new free schools. NUT general secretary Kevin Courtney said: “The Chancellor knows schools are on their knees. Extra funding will pour into free schools and grammar schools, for which there’s no need.”
Lib Dem education spokesman John Pugh added: “This is totally the wrong priority for schools funding.”
A Department for Education spokesman said: “School funding is at its highest level on record.”