Committee for Education - 2007-11 Mandate

Education Task Force recommendations

A group of engineers from the University of Ulster and from Queen’s University together with school principals from the primary and post-primary sectors has drawn up a set of recommendations for government. These recommendations attempt to take the argument away from the current bickering about selection and to lift the argument to a higher level, focusing on economic regeneration. At the heart of their advice lie the following points:

• Education lies at the heart of any new economic regeneration and social inclusion strategy. A changing education environment must reflect a changing world and Northern Ireland’s future generations must be prepared for that world and a new way of working. There must be a widespread campaign directed at both parents and youth about the benefits of science, technology, engineering and maths.

• A long-term political settlement is needed to stimulate the return of talented leavers and to encourage entrepreneurship. We must remove the barriers to economic growth by addressing over-regulation, over-taxation and lack of inward investment. We must improve public sector efficiency and use the proceeds of efficiency to reduce the burden of taxation, and we must invest in vital infrastructure, in particular our transport networks.
• It’s hoped that the new arrangements for transfer of pupils from Primary Schools is fairer and more in keeping with a more flexible curriculum. It should be a fundamental aim that all children should have reached a clearly defined level in functional communication (both oral and written) and in numeracy by the end of their primary education. If they have not, special steps should be taken before they move on to the next stage of education.
• The group welcomes the attempts being made by government to increase the number of vocational subjects on offer at post-16 level. We must invest in the delivery of better basic skills at one end of the system and in fostering intellectual excellence at the other. We must reduce regulation which is hampering such simple activities as science experimentation, thus reducing interest and consequent study of science and technology.
• The constant ‘demand’ which comes from business and industry has not been formalised. There is a need to define meaningful and acceptable qualifications, asking w hat employers want and assuring quality in the qualifications. If there is a perception that the education supply-side delivers with little reference to society's needs, then that perception must be addressed. At the same time the business - demand side must define and articulate its needs and how they will be met.
• The development of school partnerships, breaking down the perceived barriers between schools, and across the education sectors, allows movement of students between such schools at post-16. The importance of Further Education colleges needs to be recognised, and that such an educational experience is perceived as a more suitable route for many of the students presently being encouraged to go to university.
• Northern Ireland currently lacks a meaningful socio-economic agenda and that without an economic vision we cannot determine the skills required for the future. Forward movement in terms of N.I. as a vibrant economic entity will only be achieved by forward thinking and planning and a shared vision between education, industry and commerce, political parties and the general public. Much more information regarding the economic situation in Northern Ireland needs to be made public and debated seriously. Responsible decisions need to be taken locally. A positive vision is needed to retain our young people and to regenerate the whole community.
• The appointment of an advisory body is necessary to look in depth at the many interacting problems highlighted in the report. The body needs to make recommendations, to develop a vision and a strategy for education-driven economic growth in Northern Ireland. The advisory body should look closely at the way in which Finland and other countries have managed to combine excellence in educational performance with world-beating economic performance. The qualifications structure which is developed should be designed specifically for Northern Ireland, while at the same time commanding full acceptance elsewhere.

The advisory body should be encouraging government to support:

• a long-term political settlement to stimulate the return of talented leavers and to encourage entrepreneurship
• a widespread campaign directed at both parents and youth about the benefits of science, technology, engineering and maths.
• incentives for companies initiating skills training

• world-class physical, technological & skills infrastructure
• targeted, high value-added Foreign Direct Investment essential to stimulate indigenous sector and deliver new research and development
• international competitiveness amongst indigenous firms
• meaningful dialogue between business, industry and education in terms of the skills agenda
• greater emphasis on business and vocational issues in the curriculum
• community commitment to lifelong learning
• improved levels of practical careers advice
• a curriculum which integrates entrepreneurial and skills development

Education System not ‘in decay’

In response to the Minister for Education’s assertion that the NI education system is ‘decaying’ the group present evidence to the contrary, quoting from the last two PISA reports:

In 2003, the Programme for International Student Assessment i (PISA) carried out an extensive survey in which they tested samples of 15 year old students in countries worldwide. The tests were taken by more than a quarter of a million students, representing about 23 million in the participating countries. The results showed Northern Ireland students in a favourable light.

Out of the forty-three countries in the test, Northern Ireland students were placed 7 th in reading, 9 th in science, and 16 th in maths. Finland was the best placed European country with two 1 st places and one 2 nd place.

Commenting on the Northern Ireland results, the UK National Statistics office ii said that students in Northern Ireland scored significantly higher than average on the mathematical scale, achieving 515 points. Only Finland and Korea did "significantly" better statistically than Northern Ireland in reading - it had 517. Only Finland and Japan did "significantly" better in science than Northern Ireland, which scored 524.

In 2007, the PISA presented its most recent results iii. The report showed that Northern Ireland iv was placed 10 th in science among the fifty-six OECD countries assessed, was placed 19 th in the rankings in mathematics, and 8 th place in reading literacy.

Northern Ireland schools have provided a very high standard of academic education and certainly are among some of the best schools world-wide. The report of the Independent Strategic Review of Education has shown that schools are consistently performing well, with only 3% of Northern Ireland students completing GCSEs with no qualifications as against 4, 5, and 7% in England, Scotland and Wales respectively. Northern Ireland students are out-performing the other regions at the top end with 61% achieving 5+ GCSEs as against 57, 58, and 52 in England, Scotland and Wales respectively. At A-level 97% of Northern Ireland students in 2005 achieved 2+ A-levels at A-E as against 95 and 94% in England and Wales respectively (Scottish Higher examinations are not comparable). While these figures show a more favourable picture than that presented in the second report of the Select Committee on Public Accounts in 2002 v, the ‘long tail of underachievement’ oft-quoted from that report referred specifically to underperformance in literacy and numeracy and this, of course, remains an issue to be urgently addressed.

i www.pisa.oecd.org
ii http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_education/NI_FR_text%202003final.doc
iii http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/31/60/33686029.pdf
iv http://www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/other-publications/downloadable-reports/student-achievement-in-northern-ireland-pisa.cfm
v http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmselect/cmpubacc/108/10805.htm