A legal challenge has been served on the Department of Education over a bursary scheme that pays tuition fees for new student teachers in shortage subjects but excludes around 120 current trainees. Phoenix Law sent pre-action correspondence challenging the eligibility criteria of the Initial Teacher Education Bursary Scheme, and judicial review proceedings will follow unless the department provides a satisfactory response.

The scheme, introduced by Education Minister Paul Givan, covers full tuition fees for students training to teach maths, science, technology and Irish-medium subjects who begin their courses from September 2026. Recipients must commit to teaching in a Northern Ireland school for at least two years after qualifying. Current students already partway through the same courses at St Mary's University College and Stranmillis University College receive nothing.

Those excluded students have proposed a tapered arrangement under which students graduating in 2027, 2028 and 2029 would receive partial tuition fee payments, at a total estimated cost of £1.2 million. They have offered to sign the same two-year commitment required of funded students.

St Mary's Student Union President Keri Teague said the support should be phased in so that all current students benefit. She noted the scheme guarantees new recipients stay in Northern Ireland, but without similar support for current students, future graduates may not be in the region to fill vacancies. Former Student Union President Caoilte Hamil said current students in these areas are an immediate answer to the long-term teacher shortage and feel overlooked and undervalued. Turlough O'Hagan, a fourth year Maths and Science B.Ed student, said he estimates he will owe about £50,000 in student loans by the time he qualifies, and wants to stay but is unsure it is financially viable. Rhian McCrory, also in fourth year training to teach Maths, said current students are at a disadvantage compared with incoming students who will graduate debt free, and having tuition fees paid for the final year would be very helpful.

A Department of Education spokesperson said the bursary is intended to attract new student teachers into subjects with the greatest teacher shortages. Because of budget constraints, funding is not available to extend the scheme to current undergraduates, and doing so would not increase the number of new entrants, which is the scheme's main purpose. The department noted similar bursaries of up to £30,000 exist in England and Wales for some teaching subjects.

In the legal correspondence, Phoenix Law argues the department has defined the scheme's purpose too narrowly. Solicitor Jack Murphy said the scheme also requires recipients to commit to teaching in Northern Ireland, which is about retention, not just recruitment. He said the 120 students have offered to sign that same commitment, giving up to 240 years of guaranteed specialist teaching, and that their proposal has never been assessed against it.

Mr Murphy also said the students presented a costed proposal to the department, gave evidence to the Assembly's Education Committee, met officials in June, and in April asked the Permanent Secretary to analyse the cost of retaining trainees already in the system. The department has acknowledged in writing that the students' concerns are legitimate and has acknowledged their sense of injustice, but offered nothing and closed the file. The decision under challenge is dated 10 July 2026, and on 6 August the department confirmed it considered the matter closed.