Grammar schools are here to stay – Robinson
THE First Minister has issued a direct challenge to the Catholic Church and the Education Minister, insisting that Northern Ireland will retain academic selection.
Speaking after meeting children at Riverdale Primary School in Lisburn, Peter Robinson said that he had "some misgivings about the shock and instant effect of one test summing up a child's ability".
But although he was not being dogmatic about what method should replace the old 11-plus, he insisted that Northern Ireland needs more "elite" high achievers to punch above its weight in the world economy.
Yesterday, Cardinal Sean Brady said Catholic schools will not use academic selection by 2012.
He was speaking at the launch of a review on post-primary education in the Catholic sector, which will see the creation of a network of all-ability schools in that sector.
Up until now all Catholic Grammar schools have defied the Education Minister Caitriona Ruane and the Catholic Church by retaining their own independent academic selection tests.
Cardinal Brady said new ways of providing education can be achieved without compromising cherished values and the right to schools with a particular ethos.
"We have been and will continue throughout this process to consult beyond the Catholic network of schools and to explore new ways of sharing resources, facilities and personnel at local level to ensure that the best possible education for all children in our society is achieved," he said.
But yesterday Mr Robinson insisted he would not let grammar schools be consigned to history, adding that a proposed clause forbidding academic selection had never been retained in the St Andrew's Agreement.
"The Roman Catholic Church appears determined to deny young people the opportunity of a grammar school education," he said.
"I know many Roman Catholic parents vehemently oppose this position. They too understand the importance of successful academic schools in the development of our society here."
He praised everyone behind independent assessments this year, who stepped in to fill the "vacuum left by the (Education] Minister".
However, nobody found the situation ideal, he said, with some children having to sit five tests.
All parties in the Assembly with the exception of Sinn Fein now accept that proceeding with academic selection is the right thing, though some support this only on a temporary basis, he said.
"Ultimately what we want to see is an academically robust single form of assessment which would again rest under the auspices of the Department of Education," he said.
"The academically gifted should be stretched throughout their learning experience and this will include a grammar school education.
"Equally we must not close our eyes to the under-performance of some parts of the system. But the way to tackle this is through intervention and investment at an early stage, not by seeking to remove a successful part of the system.”
He said there were 14,000 applications for pupils to sit the unregulated tests for 68 schools this year.
But he acknowledged that education has been an issue which has “divided the Executive”.
The First Minister said he is not asking for agreement from people with diverse opinions on academic selection but rather “respect for choice”.
As part of an attempt to find a solution, he said he has appointed Arlene Foster to a ministerial group with the Education Minister and the leaders of the UUP and SDLP to seek to improve how Executive business is done.
Also, advisors from the four parties met last Thursday and will reconvene this week in an attempt to find solutions to the reform of education’s administrative structures, he said.
“I am committed to work to seek what agreement is possible and reach consensus on how we manage that which we cannot agree.
“Young people should not be used as political pawns in a battle of educational philosophies.”
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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