In a BT interview the Education Minister Catriona Ruane has claimed that:
“Parents are confident that the changes will be in place in time for their children to transfer. There is no need to cause confusion when there isn’t confusion.”
She has also went for the ‘blame everybody else’ approach including the media:
“the Minister harshly criticised the Assembly’s education committee, committee chairman Sammy Wilson and the media”
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“She has also went ”
Arrrrghh!
I’m a parent of a nine year old (and a couple of younger ones) I’m not confident the changes will be in place. There is confusion. There Minister is a muppet (no offence to muppets)
The Bel Tele interview is a classic in how to rub an journalist up the wrong way.
Caitriona Ruane obviously cannot cope with the situation
Media Studies students should note: the exact point where spin meets bollocks has recently been definitively identified as Catriona Ruane.
Sir Reg Empey admits that he was seriously shocked
I have to admit that in a week dominated by the status of Billy Armstrong’s shed Sir Reg may have been forgiven if he had concentrated on Party Discipline. Fortunately no. His “serious shock” is nothing to do with his MLA’s expenses but rather:
“Sir Reg Empey admits that he was seriously shocked to discover the extent of the gulf between high and low achievers in Northern Ireland.”
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/article3456380.ece
Where has he been? Not reading Slugger obviously.
His solution
He argues that more must be done during children’s early years at school and also puts forward the radical proposal that children should not progress from primary to secondary school until they have basic reading and writing skills.
Perhaps he should listen to some people who have a clue about Primary Education.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/education/article3223767.ece
Ronnie Milligan, principal of Cregagh primary school, a member of the Northern Ireland Primary Principals Action Group (NIPPAG) said
“This is clear when you consider that each pupil in year seven is allocated £1,960 and this is raised to £3,167 per pupil in year eight. Is it right to say that there is a difference of £1,200 per pupil between June and September?
We appear to have a plethora of initiatives but seem unable to answer the basic question:
Why are we not spending the money in the Primary schools where it is needed?
“Media Studies students should note: the exact point where spin meets bollocks has recently been definitively identified as Catriona Ruane.”
Very good.
But I thought that point happened when she was driving around and turning away from pickets and refusing to take responsibility for the classroom assistants’ strike.
There is no need to cause confusion when there isn’t confusion.
String Theorists will be pleased at this “real” piece of evidence that there are, indeed, parallel universes.
Problem is that getting rid of Ruane is being promoted as a solution. It isn’t. It might be part of it though. Perhaps Sammy should offer to go too.
Is Ms Ruane intending to blunder ahead with post-code selection where secondary schools are heavily over-subscribed?. Surely such a practice is far from egalitarian. Better surely to use a ballot system.
As to Ruane’s performance so far as minister;
I would give her 1 out of 10 for her crude handling of the transfer system, her authoritarian streak and for her despicable retreat from alleged socialist principles during the classroom assistants’ action. But then, who with any sense ever thought that Sinn Fein were socialists?
fair_deal,
Here is a link to the interview itself. It is pathetic; she seems to think that all parents are happy with her “progress” and that it is only the media and politicians who are causing trouble (I guess she would regard you as guilty of “scaremongering” now).
In reality this woman is clearly incapable of doing her job but SF seem not to mind too much for the meantime. It is only children’s future she is damaging with her inability to produce constructive proposals.
Briso:
>“She has also went “
>Arrrrghh!
Yes. If one is going to criticise an education minister, one should……..
““Parents are confident that the changes will be in place in time for their children to transfer. There is no need to cause confusion when there isn’t confusion.””
Not any that I’ve met… or teachers either for that matter. Has anyone met/is a parent that is confident?
Not any that I’ve met… or teachers either for that matter. Has anyone met/is a parent that is confident?
DK
I have two kids in primary school and am a parent rep on the board of govs.
I have met and spoken with many parents who are confused and pissed off… but then again we do not have access to the objective unbiased and omniscient evidence base which enables the minister to make such blanket statements regarding the parents of primary school kids.
There is no need to cause confusion when there isn’t confusion.
joeCanuck: “String Theorists will be pleased at this “real” piece of evidence that there are, indeed, parallel universes. ”
As bad as Boss Daley’s assessment of the Chicago PD…
I’m a parent of an 8 year-old who will have to deal with the minister’s dithering in a year and a half. Confident – anything but.
Last week she was more interested in berating Margaret Ritchie for making an official statement on the proposed Narrow Water bridge instead of sticking to her own brief (which of course was exactly the reason for her lambasting Ms Ritchie). Strikes me that the only true reason for Ms Ruane being a minister is to challenge Ms Ritchie (eventually) for the South Down westminster seat but on current form she has no mission.
Ritchie outclasses Ruane.
Apparently the Education Committee now want to write policy as well as scrutinise it.
Oh and a Ministerial Sub-group as well.
That should sort it.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article3466203.ece
Time’s a-ticking. Declaring parents to be confident about changes and plans that are so-far uncertain, undeclared and based on pie-in-the-sky utopian dreams doesn’t make it fact. Maybe Catriona should spend less time finger-pointing and more time coming up with the goods, otherwise it’s going to end up much worse than the disaster it was already destined to be.
Gerry get another ‘babe’ in. This one’s a busted flush.