A mixed report at the end of term

Ten major changes in the education sector were evident in 2004, writes Sean Flynn, Education Editor.

1 Noel Dempsey paid a price for using the F-word - fees

On a dark night in September, Noel Dempsey was moved from Education into Communications and the Marine. Some pundits said he would be sacked. Not for the first time, he confounded the sceptics.

A Meath man first and foremost, Dempsey had a habit of burning bridges as he crossed them. But he also had the courage to raise issues which will have to be confronted, not least the return of third-level fees.

He was vindicated in September when, on the eve of his departure from Education, a report from the Paris think-tank, the OECD, proposed the return of fees. But by then the political damage had been done. Noel Dempsey had scared the middle classes and was about to exit.

These are some of the issues he managed to raise during his period in office:

The chronic need for more third-level funding via fees or some other route.

Standardised testing for primary schools.

The "information vacuums" which can deny parents the information they need at second level.

The extent to which third-level education remains dominated by the middle classes.

The extent to which private fee-paying schools are supported by the taxpayer (€80 million per year).

The extent to which much of the education agenda is driven by the "usual suspects" in the teaching unions and management bodies.

All these difficult issues will have to be confronted at some future stage, by some future minister. But don't bet on anything happening this side of the next election.

2 Going for grinds became the norm, not the exception

This was the year when the boom in grinds became most visible. The evidence was everywhere. "Grind King" Ray Kearns, head of the Institute of Education acquired Bruce College in Dublin in a multi-million deal. Some reports suggested Kearns raked in some €9 million in tuition fees alone, as his numbers boomed. Next year, close to 1,000 students will sit the Leaving Cert at the Institute, at almost €5,000 each.

One survey suggested that more than 75 per cent of Leaving Cert students are taking grinds. The fever has even spread to 12-year-olds. More than a quarter of first-year second-level students are taking grinds.

3 Teacher conferences returned to normal.

With teachers accepting the pay awards and the bitter ASTI dispute a distant memory, teachers' conferences returned to normal. Only a handful of education hacks reported on the ASTI conference, compared to dozens a few years ago. And there were no reports of casualties. The union itself settled down, despite the occasional skirmish. Its new, tele-visual president, Susie Hall, left executive meetings in an agitated state on several occasions. But this was small beer compared to ASTI in the old days when all-out war was de rigueur.

Hall and the new acting general secretary, John White formed an impressive team, calming the union down and presenting a much improved image.

4 Students began to call the shots in the CAO process

Law, medicine and the like continue to require a ludicrous 550-plus CAO points.

But falling Leaving Cert numbers meant most students were able to secure the third-level course they wanted. More than 40 per cent secured their first choice degree course and over 70 per cent got one of their top three choices. The Points Race, as it was known during the dark and bleak 1980s, may be at an end.

5 Publication of Department of Education reports on schools became more likely

In a landmark ruling in May, the High Court cleared the way for the publication of reports on primary schools compiled by inspectors.

In characteristic mode, the Department of Education had refused to release the reports. But when The Irish Times appealed, the High Court said a school principal had failed to prove that publication would be damaging. The court said it would be slow to inhibit the operation of the Freedom of Information Act, which had been passed by the Oireachtas.

The High Court's decision, now under appeal to the Supreme Court, is good news for parents - and a blow to the culture of secrecy in Irish education.

League tables also moved a step closer. For reasons best known to itself, the CAO - a limited company with no major policy role - sought to prevent publication of the tables. Some even suggested the Data Protection Commissioner was against publication, a suggestion he refuted.

The education establishment continued to pretend that parents had no interest in league tables. But an opinion poll, commissioned by Noel Dempsey, found overwhelming support for more information on schools.

6 We found out about a truancy epidemic in poorer areas

Teachers in poorer areas have been saying it for years but this year it became official - kids in poorer areas are missing huge chunks of the education year.

The new National Education Welfare Board released figures that underlined the scale of the problem. More than 20 per cent of kids in poorer areas are missing school for at least one month every year.

The shock figures help to secure much more funding for the board, but it is still a drop in the ocean - given the scale of the problem. Many of these kids will fund their way into crime, drug abuse and worse. Everyone agrees a massive increase in State funding for the board could make a real difference, but is anyone really listening?

7 The universities fell to earth

Between the OECD report and the angry reaction to reform plans, universities were rarely out of the headlines this year. It was a gloomy year. Only Trinity made a league table of the top 200 universities in the world. UCD and UCC were ranked 400-500 in another table. The rest did not feature.

The OECD demanded a quantum leap in funding to allow the universities create the "world class" quality that the Government demands. There was no return of fees and no quantum leap in funding. Instead, a single digit increase in current funding, scarcely enough to compensate for the cumulative 14 per cent cut over the past two years - and no real engagement with the issue of university reform.

Three colleges (Trinity, UCD and UCC) faced internal revolts as their presidents pushed "reform plans". Critics accused them of pushing a "pro-business" agenda and downgrading arts and humanities.

The presidents said they were motivated only by the need to improve standards in research and teaching.

At year's end, UCD's Hugh Brady was sitting in reasonable comfort. But both Gerry Wrixon in Cork and John Hegarty at Trinity face a real battle in 2005 to move the reform agenda onward. Both claim they have already achieved substantial progress. We shall see.

8 "Free" second-level schools felt the heat from grind and fee-paying schools, especially in Dublin

Education in Ireland is becoming polarised as never before as the middle-classes - especially in Dublin - opt out of the "free" second-level sector. Two such Dublin schools - Belcamp College and Presentation, Glasthule - signalled their intention to close, against a background of falling numbers. In all, more than 20,000 places are now unfilled in second-level schools in Dublin. Enrolment figures for some of the best-known Christian Brothers schools have declined dramatically.

Increasingly, middle-class parents appear to be opting for fee-paying schools and grind schools, especially in Dublin. Sadly, the era where students from all sorts of different social backgrounds were together in one class may be about to end - at least in some areas of Dublin.

9 The INTO emerged as the most influential voice in Irish education

There was hardly an education issue this year where the INTO was not setting the agenda. A series of brilliant media campaigns delivered astonishing results. The issue of rat-infested, dilapidated primary school buildings moved out of the limelight after an unprecedented €200 million-plus investment by the Government.

Special needs education had still to receive the back-up it required but progress was made as the INTO kept up the pressure on Government. The number of special needs assistants, for example, soared from a few hundred five years ago to nearly 6,000 this year.

When the INTO objected to the lack of consultation over the new standardised tests for primary schools, everyone sat up and listened. General secretary, John Carr and press officer, Peter Mullan made a formidable team.

10 Mary Hanafin said there would be no more task forces or expert groups

In September, Mary Hanafin took over in Marlborough Street. A former teacher of Irish and history, she had been tipped for the job since the last election. On arrival, she said she was fed up with all the task forces and reports on education when action was needed.

But Hanafin is cautious by nature. She has been slow to say or do anything which will start a fire. The teacher unions are delighted, as she has none of Dempsey's zeal for confrontation. Her main problems in 2005? Sorting out the universities, dealing with huge literacy and absenteeism problems in poorer areas and securing more money for special needs.

Hanafin emerged strongly from the Estimates and reasonably OK from the Budget. Most fair-minded people would say - so far, so good.

High-flyers low points

2004 was a good year for

Mary Hanafin, the new minister

Grind schools, which attracted record numbers of students

Fee-paying schools - €80 million in State support will continue

UL, NUI Galway, NUI Maynooth and DCU, who stayed out of the limelight

Rotting primary schools - extra money was found to address the problem

Parents of second-level children, who had a new common school year

The INTO, which dominated the new agenda

The State Exams Commission - ran exams very smoothly

. . . but a testing one for

Noel Dempsey - lost the education brief

"Free" second-level schools - some lost students to grind schools and fee-paying schools

TCD, UCD and UCC - pushed through difficult reform agendas

Parents of primary school children - still coping with those sudden closures for training etc

School principals - still hugely overworked and under-appreciated at both primary and second-level

Male teachers in primary schools - more than 80 per cent of your colleagues are female