School talks end without agreement
A MEETING between Stormont politicians to discuss the post-primary transfer debacle has broken up without any agreement on a solution to the crisis.
Crucially, Education Minister Caitriona Ruane refused to attend the talks, which only agreed on a "framework" for more talks.
Sinn Fein accused the organisers of a "publicity stunt" and questioned why the meeting was held at all when the Education Committee – which has responsibility for discussing education policy – was meeting just two hours later.
However, an agreed statement by the Alliance Party, DUP, UUP and SDLP, who took part in the talks, described the meeting as "very productive".
The brief statement said that there were "significant areas of agreement between the parties present" but Sinn Fein, which controls the Education ministry, dismissed the initiative.
The party's education spokesman, John O'Dowd, said that it was an "attempt to grab another headline".
Speaking ahead of yesterday's meeting, he said: "The ridiculousness of the situation is clear. This meeting is being held at 12 pm today. At 2 pm today the parties represented at this meeting will sit on the education committee, the very same committee that over the past two years has had ample opportunity to find consensus and discuss the critical issues affecting education and our children."
Although Ms Ruane has recommended that secondary schools do not use academic selection to allocate places following the abolishment of the state-run 11 Plus, most grammar schools have said that they will use their own tests to allocate places.
Two separate school-organised testing regimes mean that some 11-year-olds could have to sit five test papers.
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
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