Teaching unions and politicians join chorus of condemnation over 'inappropriate' social media posts from Stormont department
Paul Givan is expected to fly home from Israel tomorrow (Thursday) and into a political storm triggered by his department's promotion of a controversial 'fact-finding' trip to the Middle East.
The DUP minister is believed to travelled to Israel in a personal capacity yet his officials back home have been highlighting the visit by issuing a press release and posting on social media.
The education minister joined DUP colleagues Sammy Wilson, David Brooks and Newtownabbey councillor Ben Mallon on the six-day visit.
Former Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken and TUV deputy leader Ron McDowell were also on the trip, which has been paid for by the Israeli government.
The unionist politicians' visit came against a background of widespread condemnation of Israel over its two-year bombardment of Gaza, in response to the Hamas attacks of October 7 2023.
The Israeli Defence Force has been implicated in the killing of more than 20,000 children, while Benjamin Netanyahu's government faces accusations of genocide and war crimes.
Official coverage has prompted questions about the role of the Department of Education in promoting the minister's trip, both on social media and in a press release issued on Monday.
Teaching unions joined with politicians in querying the role of civil servants in supporting what appears to be a purely political venture.
The press release related to Mr Givan's visit to the Ofek School in Jerusalem, which the minister praised for its "innovative educational practices".
On Tuesday, he travelled to close to the frontier with Gaza, where upwards of 67,000 have been killed by Israelis during the latest escalation of the decades-long conflict.
"Our fact finding mission continues today as we travel to Southern Israel and meet with victims of the terrorist attacks by Hamas along the border areas with Gaza," the education minister tweeted.
"We had a busy day of official engagements in the Knesset and an inspiring school visit."
The Northern Ireland Teachers' Council (NITC), an umbrella body for the region's five main teaching unions, condemned the minister and his department.
"The fact that the education minister has undertaken this tour in the context of what has been recognised by the UN as a genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people in Gaza, as well as Israel's consistent disregard and abuse of international laws in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is deeply troubling," a statement said.
The NITC described the Department of Education's social media posts as "inappropriate".
"The minister's actions in promoting this visit on these platforms is an overtly political and divisive act that serves to diminish confidence in his judgement and respect for the views of the wider education workforce and community," the statement said.
Alliance MLA Nick Mathison, chair of Stormont's education committee, said questions on "the appropriateness of the minister's trip must be answered".
"It is entirely understandable that many have expressed concerns about the appropriateness of the trip and the minister's decision to attend," he said.
"Over the past two years, the world has watched in horror as Israel continued to commit atrocities in Gaza. It is clear that the education minister and his department have significant questions to answer."
The Strangford MLA said "there should be no blurring of the minister's private political activity and the work of the department".
Sinn Fein MLA Cathy Mason said she had tabled a series of questions for the minister to establish if the trip was "undertaken in an official ministerial capacity".
"If not, I am requesting clarification as to why departmental social media has been used to comment on elements of this trip," she said.
People Before Profit's Gerry Carroll said the trip was "clearly politically motivated", while the SDLP's Cara Hunter argued that the minister's visit to Israel "raises broader questions about governance" his department.
"If this is an unofficial trip paid for by the Israeli government, why are official executive resources being used to publicise it across the media and social media?" she said.
TUV deputy leader Ron McDowell, who travelled alongside Mr Givan said issues specific to the education minister were "matters for him".
"For my own part, I have always been upfront and transparent that I was invited by the Israeli embassy in London to visit the country as a guest of their government," he said.
In response to a series of questions from the Irish News, the Department of Education said the minister was invited to travel by the Israeli government "as part of a delegation of representatives from Northern Ireland".
It said the department had not funded any aspect of the trip and that during his visit, Mr Givan "decided to take an opportunity to visit Ofek School to learn about the approach they take to support diverse learners within a high-achieving environment".
The Department of Education confirmed that its X account, from which tweets about the controversial trip were posted, is the responsibility of public servants working in its press office.