Funding for specialist sports activities teaching in major faculties will finish, the Department of Education (DE) has mentioned.

The school sports programme was delivered by coaches from the Irish Football Association (IFA) and Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).

It was run in additional than 200 faculties every year by 22 coaches and value about £500,000 a 12 months.

The division has advised the sports activities our bodies “no further funding is available”.

In an announcement, the IFA and GAA mentioned they and plenty of meeting members (MLAs) have requested an pressing assembly with the division’s everlasting secretary concerning the resolution to finish the funding.

In their letter asserting it was ending the funding for the scheme, the division mentioned: “Faced with this extremely challenging position the department has had no choice but to take a number of very difficult decisions.”

The coaches from the IFA and GAA went into faculties to offer additional PE courses.

They delivered classes for pupils in athletics, dance, video games and gymnastics in addition to soccer and GAA, and supplied recommendation to academics.

It mentioned greater than 1 / 4 of youngsters in Northern Ireland have been classed as chubby or overweight.

The ETI had mentioned that the IFA and GAA scheme gave academics “access to specialist local knowledge and skills which improve the quality of their planning for PE and extra-curricular physical activities”.

In a joint assertion to BBC News NI, the IFA and Ulster GAA mentioned the college sports activities programme supported 900 academics and 24,000 kids, delivering greater than 400 PE courses per week.

IFA Foundation director James Thompson mentioned the choice to axe the funding “has been taken at a time when physical inactivity risks long-term harm to the physical and mental health of children”.

“Three quarters of primary schools are unable to provide the recommended two hours per week for PE,” he mentioned.

“If this was the case for any other statutory subject there would be government support rather than a reduction in provision.

“We are asking our MLAs to take all potential motion to guard this important programme and, most significantly, the well being, wellbeing and resilience of youngsters in Northern Ireland.”

Ulster GAA director Eugene Young said ending the scheme “could be a big loss to our youngsters and faculties”.

“We can not enable kids to have decreased entry to the statutory curriculum for PE and name on our political representatives to assist the marketing campaign to retain the wide-ranging advantages of this programme,” he mentioned.

Thomas McKee, who is principal of Our Lady’s Primary School in Tullysaran, County Tyrone, said the coaches provided by the school sports programme were “completely important” to the physical and emotional wellbeing of his pupils.

The Department of Education has been contacted by BBC News NI for remark.