EDUCATION MINISTER Caitríona Ruane has rejected accusations of hypocrisy, and calls for her resignation, following a report that she took her child on an official trip to Cyprus during school term time.
She said she took the decision on the basis of the best interests of her child.
Unionists at Stormont were sharply critical of the Minister after she confirmed yesterday an Irish News report that she took her 12-year-old daughter with her to Cyprus, thereby missing classes for three days.
Department of Education guidelines say children should not be taken from school other than in the most unusual circumstances.
Mervyn Storey, the DUP chairman of the Stormont committee which oversees Ms Ruane’s department, accused her of double standards. “I think this is another example of how the Minister sets a standard for others, but is not prepared to live by the rules herself.”
Ulster Unionist education spokesman Basil McCrea, one of Ms Ruane’s chief critics in the Assembly, said her decision to act counter to her department’s guidelines was unsettling for parents and teachers. “There is an issue for people in public life that if you do one thing and say another, it worries people.”
However, Ms Ruane defended her actions in a series of media interviews. Issuing a statement through her party offices, she said: “My decision to take my daughter on a recent trip to Cyprus during term-time was taken as a parent. My daughter was absent from her class for three days. My decision was dictated by private and personal matters and in the best interest of my daughter. I am happy that my decision was both responsible and correct.”
The Minister received some support from the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO).
Spokesman Brendan Harron told the BBC: “Attendance at school is crucial. There’s a clear link between attendance and achievement.
“But every individual case must be looked at on its merits. A parent makes a decision, I don’t think any parent makes a decision to, in any way, inflict damage on a child’s education.”