A rational move for the VECs?

RATIONALISING the VECs has been on the political agenda for well over a decade, without anything serious ever being done about it. But with the publication, last Friday, of a new report recommending a cut from 38 to 21 committees, that situation may be about to change.

The report brings the Minister for Education the good news that a broad consensus exists in favour of rationalisation among those involved in education. On the debit side for Breathnach, there is the implacable opposition of the VECs themselves to any reduction in their number.

The imminence of an election adds spice to these considerations, both for the Minister and many Government TDs who will be affected by the proposed changes (see panel). After all, even Breathnach's home committee in Dun Laoghaire gets the chop under the proposals drawn up by the Commission on School Accommodation Needs, chaired by Frank Murray.

Although the IVEA and the Association of CEOs of VECs went overboard at an earlier stage, Murray managed deftly enough to hang on to the rest of his commission crew. The recommendation in favour of new appointments procedures for vocational teachers played a major role in keeping the TUI happy.

The report tries to draw a clearer distinction than currently exists between the reserved" policy function of elected committee members - such as adopting the budget borrowing money, etc - and executive functions to be carried out by appointed VEC officials.

VECs would in future act as providers of services in vocational education, while Breathnach's education boards would act as "supporters and co-ordinators" of all the providers of education in their regions.

The steering group's report goes over much of the demographic material covered in an earlier report. published by the technical working group of the Commission in June.

It points out that the size of different VECs varies hugely; the City of Dublin VEC has 11,559 pupils enrolled, while the town of Sligo VEC has only 295 students and Co Roscommon only 348.

In recognition of the VECs' valuable role in these areas, the latest report says concerns about provision in the areas of adult education and for early school-leavers should be addressed.

Predictably, the VEC response to the report was critical enough, although the IVEA conceded, perhaps for the first time, that "minor changes" may be desirable.

ARGUING the VEC case has not been made any easier by the succession of local committees which have had their operations criticised by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Privately, many in the vocational sector are claiming the timing of the VEC appearances before the Dail Committee of Public Accounts has been orchestrated to coincide with the Minister's rationalisation plans.

"We're going through trial and execution by the media," said one CEO last week. "It's a process which is both sinister and unjust."

The VECs dispute many of the enrolment figures contained in both reports produced by the Commission, and some CEOs have also called into question the audit process they are currently undergoing.

But most of these rumblings have remained internal. Until the committees themselves are prepared to go publicly on the counter-attack, there is little prospect of the public getting a chance to judge the issue from both sides of the story.