Debate contribution: Exclusion of the Minister of Education from Office
Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on .
- MLA
- Ms Cara Hunter
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 10 November 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Assembly Business
- Heading
- Exclusion of the Minister of Education from Office
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5224339
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Minister, you have been hailed by political commentators as a doer: a man who is getting things done. I begin by complimenting you, because I do think that you are a doer, but the problem is that you are not bringing anyone along with you. In the past number of weeks, you have been extremely and deliberately divisive, and, both last week and this week, when we were discussing humanitarian tragedies, you smiled like a Cheshire cat. It is not me who is saying that, Minister. Rather, it has been pointed out in the many messages that I have received from people from across our communities who feel outraged. Today's debate goes beyond the trip that the Israeli Government paid for, which was inherently political and divisive. In your role, Minister, you have not allowed girls to wear trousers to school, and you did not include in legislation a number of amendments that we had worked hard on in Committee to assist children with sensory needs and to provide period dignity for our young people. Today, we are asked to scrutinise the conduct and judgement of the Minister, who accepted a state-funded visit to Israel: a state that has engaged in the relentless and wholesale destruction of Gaza and that has killed innocent women and children. Those are the facts. What Mr Givan wishes to do as a private citizen is a matter for him.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. What Mr Givan does in his own time, as a private citizen, is a matter for him. What he wishes to do and where he wishes to visit as a DUP MLA, outside of his ministerial role, is a matter for him, but today's motion is simple. In his role as Minister, can we have confidence in him when he chose to lend the prestige of his office to his trip with the Israeli Government, who are carrying out what is arguably the greatest atrocity of this century? Minister, you pride yourself on being a believer in Jesus Christ. You pride yourself on being a Christian. You are proud to be someone who uplifts, educates and empowers children. You and your colleagues have rightly spoken out passionately about Christians being persecuted across the globe, yet Israel has bombed Christians in Gaza. Israel has killed Christians and their families in Gaza. You have stood, smiled and waved with the Israeli Government despite the fact that they have murdered innocent Christians, Muslims and others. It is important to mention that, because it has been painfully overlooked throughout the debate. I am not virtue-signalling or acting morally superior. I just genuinely do not understand why that is continually overlooked. The Minister of Education undertook a paid trip to a place with a Government who have bombed schools, universities and hospitals. That is beyond understanding. The Minister's decision has been criticised by the Northern Ireland Teachers' Council (NITC) as an:
"overtly political and divisive act that serves to diminish confidence in his judgement".
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) stated that accepting the invitation is:
"hard to comprehend, let alone justify".
Those are not the words of the SDLP but the words of members of the public. There is an old proverb that states:
"A fish rots from the head down."
It is generally used to mean that, when an organisation or state fails, the leadership is to blame, because dysfunction starts at the top. The Minister has clearly failed to act correctly. He has failed morally; he has failed professionally; and he has failed the children, parents and teachers of Northern Ireland.
Today's motion is not sectarian; it is certainly not antisemitic; it is not about orange and green; and it is not selective outrage. The violence of 7 October was wrong, and the continued slaughter of innocent Palestinian people to this day is wrong. Today's motion gives voice to so many across Northern Ireland about how they feel. It is led by the people of Northern Ireland: the pupils, parents, unions and teachers who have sent us all, I imagine, countless messages about their outrage. I speak for them when I say this: no more. It is time for the Minister to resign.
700 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.46 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- Criteria met: Controversy escalation (0.61).
- The text criticises or condemns the framing or division (0.58).
- Subject area: Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice).
- The overall probability was low and the text did not adopt any identity-based framing.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.22 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.08 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.06 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.14 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.61 | Yes |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.35 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.46 | Between thresholds |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing | 0.35 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it (chosen) | 0.58 |
| Adopts it | 0.07 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Religion and belief (including people of no religion), churches, faith communities and religious prejudice (including antisemitism and anti-Muslim prejudice) | 0.91 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.09 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:41 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
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