Panel to look at Protestant boys’ underachievement is ‘too imbalanced’

A new panel tackling educational underachievement - especially among working class Protestant boys - must take into account that over a dozen reports on the issue in the last decade have resulted in no significant action, it is claimed.
Education Minister Peter Weir has appointed a panel to look at educational underachievement across NI - especially among working class Protestant boys.Education Minister Peter Weir has appointed a panel to look at educational underachievement across NI - especially among working class Protestant boys.
Education Minister Peter Weir has appointed a panel to look at educational underachievement across NI - especially among working class Protestant boys.

PUP Deputy Leader Dr John Kyle was speaking after Education Minister Peter Weir’s recent launch of an Expert Panel to examine the links between educational underachievement and social disadvantage.

 Dr Kyle noted the panel’s Terms of Reference lists 15 reports on the same issue over the past 10 years, which he says have drawn very similar conclusions but resulted in no significant change.

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“The minister’s new panel has been asked to present a costed action plan which is the correct approach,” he said. “However the key will be its implementation which will require political will - something that has been lacking over the past two decades.

“The panel has a number of very knowledgeable experts, but it is top heavy with educationalists. It would benefit from someone with a mental health background like Prof Siobhan O’Neill or Dr Neil Anderson since that is a significant factor in educational underachievement.”

It also needs someone representing employers, like the CBI, as many young people are failing to secure jobs because schools are not giving them the hard and soft skills employers need, he added.

 Mr Weir acknowledged that some people consider that the government in the past has not fully grasped the urgency of the issue, but said he has been “passionate” about addressing it since 2012.

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“I believe this misconception is deeply damaging to all within the education sector, not least to the work of the Department and myself as Minister,” he replied. “In terms of panel members, I have appointed educationalists and practitioners who are considered to be experts in their field and have demonstrated an understanding of both educational underachievement and its links to socio-economic background.”

Last year Ulster University and the Economic Policy Centre reported NI job applicants too frequently have inadequate soft skills - the right attitude, flexibility, communication, punctuality, team-work and leadership skills. It also predicted that engineering, technology, maths, computer sciences and physical and environmental sciences will all see a shortage of qualified job applicants in NI.

Equality Commission warns Protestant boys more likely to be unfairly disadvantaged in education

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