100 days
That's how long the DUP's Alastair Ross says has passed since he tabled a question for Caitriona Ruane asking her if academic selection is safeguarded in legislation. He is still waiting for an answer from the Education Minister. We had a debate today on post primary transfer which did not produce a great deal that was new, although I did sit up when I heard the minister confirm that something she has discussed with educational stakeholders was an "inclusive transfer process" in which information about pupils would be shared without being the determining factor in their admission to a secondary school. Could this mean that secondary school heads would be able to see the academic side of the "pupil profiles" prepared on the applicants? If so could that lead to some kind of academic information being taken into account? The education department has told me colleague Maggie Taggart the notion of others seeing this information was discussed, but that does not mean it is the minister's policy.
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There is a chant in football that should be attributed to Ruane:
"You don't know what you're doing, you don't know what you're doing"
Time to apply a brake on this showcase piece of education 'equality' tinkering.
Equality is set to ensure that diversity can flourish. If there are those areas with schools that are under-achieving then it's time to look with a strong focus on such areas to improve education service provision. If schooling is to be equal, what is the marker in such a changed role?
Or even more the minister should stop talking equality bollix and look at inherited social behaviour which influences peer groups and indeed children that limits academic progress. Or are academic results not important in a contemporary schooling system.
Most of the issues pulled out by Sinn Fein and indeed Martin McGuinness have been emotional ones, such as kiddies saying 'I am now a failure' when they don't pass the 11+.
Much of this is largely to do with peer pressure of bullying kids rather than transferring to a school in line with attained ability. And perhaps schools themselves have failed to create a strong ethos and educational brand and identity of success within an area that in turn fails the pupils.
Hardworking schools have built up a positive identity over a long period of time, too much radical change too soon could cause certain prolific schools to lose a part of that winning formula, thus reducing regional educational performance.
If its becomes equally bad is that what the minister wants to achieve under the mantra of equality?
Time for change yes, but please be responsible and get political consensus and, indeed, more importantly get it backed with the support of educationalists and academic professionals.
What a shambles.
To gain some insight into what the future eucation landscape will look like in Ruane's world just look at the Department of Education's performance in addressing numeracy and literacy problems. It has taken the DENI a year and a half to set up a review panel after the Permanent Secretary was mauled by the Public Accounts Committee of Westminster. Children age 13 or 14 in year 9 (second form) must perform WORSE THAN A 7 YEAR OLD in order to qualify for help with reading and spelling.
The politicians are trying to sell the changes to parents on the basis of consensus. Where is the consensus between the arsonist and the firefighter? The ex-teacher elected representatives are deluding themselves if they think that academic selection can be ceded. Parents will insist on entrance tests for grammar schools but unfortunately the disadvantaged pupils who benefit most from grammar schools are likely to be denied fair opportunity to gain access. Equality of opportunity replaced by equality of result.
Ruane and her officials mimic in their actions Winston Churchill's famous quote "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm"
Their opponents who claim to support academic selection at 11 should consider "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life"
So the Education Committee members must align themselves- firefighter or arsonist?
Catriona Ruane is a disgrace. She claims that she knows what she is doing and that everyone has confidence in her yet nobody knows what is going on. From children to parent, teachers and MLA's no one knows what she is doing. Not even Catriona's very own department. Why doesn’t she run an ad in the paper for what to do next and the person with the craziest solution win a trip for 2 to the North Pole? Who would win? Step for Jim Bowen (Allister) probably using his 55 Freedom Of Information requests which only 1 relates to his work as an MEP he would ask the NIO not for facts and figures but for a colouring in book and pens.....
It seems this isnt the only Department of Education AQW that Caitriona is holding for a long time. Another MLA has been waiting since early October 2007 for an answer despite enquiring as to its whereabouts on numerous occasions!!
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