The publication of the Education Bill represents an important moment in the history of Irish educational policy. For the first time, the structure and administration of the education system are to be placed on a statutory basis. A tradition, stretching back over 130 years, in which Irish education was run by ministerial regulation and circular is drawing to an end.
That is no bad thing. And there are other positive elements in the new Bill; a noteworthy emphasis on consultation between all the education partners; a prohibition on any attempt to publish British-style league tables and new appeal procedures allowing parents and students over 18 to take complaints to boards of management. The Minister for Education, Mr Martin has clearly modelled much of his proposals on the Bill published by the previous administration. But there are some regrettable changes. The decision not to make the establishment of boards of management compulsory has been rightly criticised by the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland; indeed, it is a backward step which runs counter to the overall thrust of the Bill.
But it is the Minister's decision to follow through on the election commitment by scrapping plans for the establishment of new regional education boards that represents the most disappointing element of his proposals. The 10 regional education boards formed the centrepiece of the earlier Education Bill. The boards were designed to bring the management of schools closer to the communities they serve. The proposal was a belated attempt to weaken the excessively centralised role of the Department. It was accepted by the former minister, Ms Breathnach, that it was no longer practicable for all 4,000 schools in this State to be directly accountable to one central authority in Marlborough Street. The proposal was vigorously attacked by Mr Martin while in opposition and he made no secret of his intention to rescind it in office. He has portrayed the proposal, which he costs at £40 million, as nothing more than an attempt to add a further layer of bureaucracy to an under-funded education system. But all of this obscures the potential benefits that could flow from the establishment of regional boards. They could, for example, deliver a better education service, one that is tailored precisely to meet the particular needs of a particular area. They could help to lessen competition between schools and to provide better co-ordination of school services. They could create a new streamlined environment in which fundings and resources are available locally and so help avoid the ludicrous situation in which even the minutiae of everyday school life is referred up the line to the Department in Dublin. It may also be that the boards would not take money away from the classroom, as their critics suggest, but provide a much enhanced educational environment, more attuned to local needs. The Minister appears to have set his face firmly against the concept of regional boards. In their place, he has floated the notion of non-statutory county education boards but their powers appear limited and ill-defined. The onus is on the Minister to come up with something better. Is he content to preside over a period in which the centralised control of education in this State is actually entrenched?