Will summer holidays break the education deadlock?

Yesterday the Minister for Education, Caitriona Ruane, formally tabled her guidelines to school’s on Transfer 2010. The proposals were welcomed by her party colleagues in Sinn Fein and questioned by every other MLA in the House. After nearly two and a half years of devolved government it appears the Minister is no more able today to build a consensus then she was when she took office.

Speak to many in the educationsector and they will tell you there is a major crisis looming. Ask the Minister’s fellow MLAs and they will say that she appears to have very little interest in finding compromise on the issue.

Nearly a year ago an eminentand progressive educationalist warned me that were now in a “race to the bottom” where everyone would be a looser.

Some months ago I floated a series of principles aroundwhich a positive discussion might take place. As there appears to be damn little else being suggested I commend them to all for summer reflection. If the DUP and SF are unable to agree a way forward surely the other big parties could seek common ground?

• Agreement that 14 is a better age at which to exercise pupil and parental choice about possible transfer for the final four years of education;
• Agreement to further develop thinking about a collegiate based system;
• Agreement to guarantee parents and pupils access faith based education;
• Agreement that an early intervention strategy should be developed to support children from deprived socio economic backgrounds during primary and early second level education;
• Agreement to consider and draw on international best practice when developing these proposals;
• Agreement that the system must be based on a commitment to social equity and educational excellence at every level;
• Agreement that the change programme would be rolled out over at least a five year period, allowing up to ten years for any institutional realignments to take place;
• Agreement that an interim regulated system should be introduced immediately.

Gutter journalism or good reporting?

Caitriona Ruane accused the Irish News of gutter journalism when it broke the story yesterday that she had taken her twelve year old daughter out of school to join her on an official visit top Cyprus.

The Minister will be likely enraged again this morning to read the paper’s front page story about her five star accommodation and the lack of clarity about who paid for what on this trip to the Mediterranean island.

Is this gutter journalism?

Well if the stories were based on a minister’s private life and had no bearing on her role then maybe. But the truth is they are about the Minister for Education, he department’s own guidelines and the use of public funds.

It’s a piece of good investigative digging not an exercise in gutter journalism.

Many will have some sympathy with Ms Ruane as a parent but this should not take away from her overriding duty as a Minster.

She is clearly guilty of asking parents across Ireland to do as she says and not do as she does. She also has many questions to answer about who paid for what on this trip. Failure to answer these will damage not just Ms Ruane but her party and public confidence in local politicians in a week when things are already pretty bad.

Sinn Fein has sought to position itself as the party of integrity on the side of the common man.

They claim to pay themselves only the average industrial wage yet are claiming three times the going rate for their flats in London (that’s £3400 more a month more then their neighbours do). 

Many will be wondering if they are just as bad if not worse then those they are normally so keen to criticise.

Last week when asked on TV whether there needs to be greater regulation of politics and expenses I said yes.

The real regulation of politicians behaviour, however, is an election and people here in NI and across Europe have the chance to make their own voices heard on in two and a half weeks.