The A-level exam system in Northern Ireland should be scrapped and replaced with a broader curriculum for pupils, the SDLP proposed today.
The party's 50-page Assembly Election manifesto, unveiled by leader Mark Durkan in Belfast, calls for a radical overhaul of the secondary education system.
The SDLP vowed to "develop an all-ability co-educational school system based on the availability of a common curriculum and a wide spectrum of choice suited to each pupil's particular needs.
"(The party will propose to) Replace A-levels with a broader post-16 curriculum that would offer all young people wider career options and life pathway choices."
The manifesto also called for the creation of an independent Revenue Regulator to act as a watchdog against excessive rates increases and impose a cap if necessary.
The SDLP manifesto also calls for a fairer rates system based on ability to pay, with relief for students, pensioners and the disabled; a single all-Ireland corporation tax regime at 12.5 per cent; the development of an all-Ireland strategy to maximise overseas investment; and the creation of a cross-Border economic development zone.
PA
