Stormont Education Minister Paul Givan has come under fire over a trip to Israel.
Mr Givan appeared to have travelled with a number of other unionist MLAs for what has been described as a fact-finding mission.
However questions were asked after his department publicised a visit by Mr Givan to a school in the Jerusalem district.
In a statement the Northern Ireland Teachersâ Council condemned âthe actions of the Department of Education and Education Minister Paul Givan in taking part in and promoting a tour hosted by Israeli officialsâ.
âThe 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 Israelâs consistent disregard and abuse of international laws in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is deeply troubling,â they said.
âIt is also a cause for serious concern that Minister Givan and the department have posted a number of inappropriate social media posts and online news items on the departmentâs official website, in what he has claimed is a âfact-findingâ mission at the invitation of the Israeli embassy in London. Official governmental online platforms should be politically neutral.
âThe ministerâs actions in promoting this visit on these platforms is an overtly political and divisive act that serves to diminish confidence in his judgment and respect for the views of the wider education workforce and community.â
The NITC has demanded that the department removes the social media posts and stories on its website about the visit.
The council added: âThe minister should also be asked to explain his actions in accepting the invitation of the Israeli embassy at a time when senior officials of that state stand accused of war crimes.â
Alliance MLA Nick Mathison, who chairs the Stormont Education Committee, said questions on âthe appropriateness of the ministerâs trip must be answeredâ.
âIt is entirely understandable that many have expressed concerns about the appropriateness of the trip and the ministerâs decision to attend,â he said.
âOver 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.
âA recent statement from the Department of Education, promoting the ministerâs trip, has created additional confusion regarding whether the minister was attending for party business or departmental business.
âThere was no prior indication that this was a departmental engagement, making its promotion on official department platforms both surprising and inappropriate.
âThere should be no blurring of the ministerâs private political activity and the work of the department. It is vital that clarity on the role of the department in this trip is provided urgently.
âI will be seeking clarity from the minister and his officials around the departmental role in this visit. It is vital that there is full transparency in relation to the nature of the trip to Israel in the context of the ongoing conflict.â
Sinn Fein MLA Cathy Mason said: âI have written to the Education Minister to ask a series of questions, including who funded this trip and whether it was undertaken in an official ministerial capacity, or if elements of his visit have been carried out with departmental support.
âIf not, I am requesting clarification as to why departmental social media has been used to comment on elements of this trip.
âTeachers, children and parents deserve answers.â
The Department of Education has been approached for a response.
TUV deputy leader Ron McDowell, who also went on the trip to Israel, said he was invited to do so by the Israeli embassy in London.
âThe issues specific to the Education Minister are, of course, matters for him,â he said.
âFor 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.
âThere has been nothing underhand about this. Indeed, my party has published multiple videos I have filmed during the visit.
âWhile Sinn Fein seek to undermine the efforts to secure trade and partnership with the worldâs only Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East, I am pleased to be part of a delegation seeking to build links.â
