Photosales
niJobfinder
niCarfinder
Home Delivery
Propertynews
Can new group solve Northern Ireland's schools crisis?
Thursday, 26 November 2009
enlargeThe four parties involved in weekly talks on school transfer are hoping that a group representing many educational interests can come together to find a resolution to the current crisis.
DUP education spokesman and chair of the education committee Mervyn Storey has confirmed that the DUP, UUP, SDLP and Alliance Party are working on draft terms of reference for such a group during their weekly discussions.
They hope to agree on a “practical document” that will then be delivered to the party leaders.
It is understood that the group would represent a broad range of education interests, all school types and politicians.
The politicians say a strong level of consensus and progress is being made during their talks. They were due to meet for the seventh time yesterday.
Sinn Fein is still boycotting the meetings taking place at Parliament Buildings, which began following the launch of our Sit Down, Sort It Out campaign.
Over 8,500 people have already backed our petition calling for Executive talks on the issue in a bid to reach consensus in time for this year’s P6s to transfer between schools in 2011.
Geraldine Walsh, the mother of a Primary 6 pupil from Moneyglass, near Toomebridge, is planning to join our delegation to present the first batch of petitions to representatives from the education committee.
We will deliver boxes of signatures to the politicians on Saturday, December 5 and are meeting at the front gates of Stormont at 12.30pm. Everyone is welcome.
Mrs Walsh said: “The whole thing has got out of hand. No one is taking the reins or accepting responsibility.
“The old system should have been kept in place until there was something concrete to put in its place. I feel that there has to be selection.”
She said she feels the politicians have let everyone down.
“I have no faith in Stormont and feel we need people with expertise in this field of education to get this sorted. The politicians are just using the issue as a bargaining tool and the children are stuck in the middle.
“I think the Education Minister has handled the issue very badly. I want to see the situation sorted out for my daughter transferring next year. The children in P7 this year should not have had to go through what they went through.
“I would like to see many parents of primary-aged children coming along on December 5. We need to show the strength of feeling there is out there about this issue and stress that it needs to be sorted out.”
To join us on December 5, email ktorney@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
- Text Size
.
Exasperated,
I refer you to one such article published as an opinion piece by the Belfast Telegraph on the subject. Look it up in the archives. I think you will find the author was none other than the newspaper's education correspondent.
Your quote "all started by misinformed amateur speculation in the press." is so apt. It is a pity
that as ever it does not serve any useful purpose.
As they say in some parts "don't try to teach your granny how to suck eggs"
Posted by Parental Alliance for Choice in Education | 01.12.09, 11:21 GMT
PACE, Steve, listen take a chill pill man for gods sake, I am really worried about you.
I can picture you as you wrote your post at lunch on Thursday, thrashing away at your keyboard, foam splattering the screen as you worked yourself up to a frenzy.
What happened to 'rational debate' and 'evidence led decision making'?
Everyone in society cannot be expert in all areas, which is why we have 'experts' who specialize in particular fields. When ill-informed non-specialists try to take on complex issues, without research or meaningful data, they invariably allow personal bias to skew their conclusions. I cite the MMR debacle that has led to a massive upsurge in Measles, Mumps and Rubella among teenagers:- all started by mis-informed amateur speculation in the press.
Now lets speak about our education system and the advice our state funded specialists are proposing to improve it........
Posted by Exasperated | 27.11.09, 08:44 GMT
So now the multi-jobbing, nepotistic, money grubbing politicians who have been blamed by the educationalists for failing to agree to mandatory comprehensive education are going to let these same people to have a second go at imposing a solution. If the political representatives are on opposite sides of the selection issue no possible compromise can be reached. If "a group representing many educational interests" are selected their anti-grammar, anti-selection agenda and views will be imposed and a "result" claimed. Not on with parents. Mrs Walsh is correct.
Posted by Parental Alliance for Choice in Education | 26.11.09, 13:42 GMT
Please please stop talking about school reorganisation and wait until the new ESA is in place. When that is done then discuss the future of the school system. Lets have people who are accountable in charge so that decision makers can be held responsible.
This new group - how does it relate to the area planning groups, the post primary review groups and the schools themselves? As usual too much talk not enough action
Posted by dave | 26.11.09, 12:43 GMT