O'Dowd Commits To Drive Education

Education Minister John O’Dowd has provided the Assembly with an update on his drive to raise educational standards.

He announced further work aimed at raising educational outcomes pupils, along with a focus on teaching and leadership in schools.

Mr O’Dowd said Northern Ireland would be taking part in a review by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

This latest address is an update on his September 2011 statement, 'Putting Pupils First: Shaping our Future'.

The Minister said: "In 'Shaping the Future' I set out the challenges associated with a schools’ estate that was not well planned in the past and that needed realignment with the educational needs of local communities.

"Since then viability audits have been carried out, the area planning exercise is underway and major capital investment has been planned and announced."

Mr O’Dowd drew on the Chief Inspector of the Education and Training Inspectorate’s recent report.

"The Chief Inspector tells us that inspections and follow-up inspections of 62 post-primary schools resulted in overall effectiveness being evaluated as good or better in 59%. It is right that we pay tribute to the staff and governors in those schools. But the other side of that statistic gives me real cause for concern because it tells us that, in 41% of the post-primary schools inspected, provision was not good enough," he said.

"We will support the continuing professional development of teachers through a new strategy for teacher education that will focus on attracting the right people into teaching and then on how to support them as they prepare to become teachers and as they go through their career.

"I will ensure the development and delivery of modern leadership programmes that reflect the challenges of the 21st century. I want those programmes to focus on developing leaders who lead effectively not only within their schools but beyond the school gates to meet the education needs of all young people in an area."

(IT/GK)