"Today the Education Minister has trampled over any remaining semblance of collective responsibility in the Executive. She has also arbitrarily rejected the frequently expressed view of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Now parents, children and teachers across Northern Ireland face the disaster of a chaotic, unregulated transfer system.
"Minister Ruane has failed to bring any meaningful proposals before the Executive. She has refused time and again to respect the conventions of collective responsibility. As Ministers in the Executive we had no prior knowledge of the content of her statement, bar an emailed memorandum sent to Ministers today at 11am. In view of the chaos that now faces our schools we are left with no other choice put to publicly reject the Education Minister's statement. There is now a responsibility on the First Minister to urgently address the Education Minister's shameful expression of contempt for the Executive and the Assembly."
I've made no secret of my thoughts on the whole Stormont charade; however, I do also acknowledge that there are honourable people there trying their best as they see it for all the people of Northern Ireland. Ruane isn't one of that honourable group and her contempt for not just her fellow ministers, but also the whole democratic process surely now...finally...at last...should mean that even the SF apparachniks must see the need to send her packing- back off to her mates in the FARC Orinthology Club preferably.
3 comments:
I'm defintiely not a supporter of CA but the 11 + has no future given the changes on educaion and demands of soicety. The issue she raises is not a Unionist/Nationalist one but has a wider significance into the future for all.
I'm opposed to selection on the basis of academic ability, I believe schools should provide for the pupils who wish to attend, part of the problem in the south is that some schools reject some pupils with special needs on the basis of not providing for thier need. Would it not be better to have an entitlment to go to a second level school and then allow the school assess the pupils ability once you comply with the admissions policy. I'd then go the whole hog and abolish supports to schools that charge fees. Oh by the way scrap streaming!
Ironically I agree with much of what you say Joe. For a number of reasons, I don't think the 11-plus should have a part to play in our future education system...but the way that Ruane has gone about this has been a complete and utter disaster.
Removing the 11+ became something of a given during the election, the only issue was what would replace it. The Minister seemed to dissolve any consensus there was surrounding the subject.
I do find it odd that neither the Belfast nor St Andrew's Agreement included a mechanism for removing an incompetent minister.
How far removed from public opinion have SF moved that they cannot see just how universally unpopular she is?
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