Education Minister On Collision Course With Dodds

NI Education Minister Caitriona Ruane still plans to plough ahead with her controversial plan to send an 11+ (transfer test) information leaftlet out to every home in Northern Ireland, despite Finance Minister Nigel Dodds stating clearly that he would not fund it.

However, while she told the Belfast Telegraph this week that Department of Finance and Personnel concerns are "being addressed", she was unable to say how.

In fact, she did not respond to questions about where the money will come from to fund the leaflet or when it would be sent out.

Newly installed Finance Minister Nigel Dodds said there were "serious questions" over using public money to "promote" a party political policy, since Ms Ruane does not have the support of the other Executive parties.

But Ms Ruane accused Mr Dodds of interference and insisted she will press ahead with her proposals: "People will try to interfere but I am not going to let that happen," she said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: "The Minister has responded to requests for information on post primary proposals stating her intention to provide written information to all households.

"This will ensure full information is available for parents," and merely noting the Department of Finance and Personnel's concerns.

Ms Ruane has proposed that grammar schools would select 50% of their pupils based on their academic ability in 2010, 30% for the intake in 2011 and 20% in 2012 while in 2013, she says that admissions would be based on non-academic criteria.

However, her proposal has already been strongly criticised by the Ulster Unionists, DUP and SDLP.

Also, as a result of a deal at St Andrews, academic selection cannot be banned in Northern Ireland without cross-party support within the Assembly.

Thirty grammar schools have already defied strong warnings from Ms Ruane to announce that they will use a common entrance test to select pupils after the 11-plus is scrapped later this year.

Lumen Christi College in Londonderry - the only Catholic grammar so far to disregard the Minister’s warning of legal perils - also plans to set its own test.

However, it is understood that Ms Ruane is considering other ways of ensuring that her plan to phase out academic selection over three years is carried forward.

In a letter to grammar principals, the Minister said she was very disappointed that the AQE is continuing to pursue "such an unhelpful course of action".

"The operation by schools of independent procedures for academic selection is a prospect fraught with administrative and litigious perils," she claimed.

"Schools should be in no doubt that I will not fund, facilitate or in any way support a breakaway entrance test.

"Nor will I allow any interference with the smooth running of primary schools or the delivery of the revised curriculum."

Last December, Ms Ruane announced that the test, commonly known as the 11-plus, would come to an end in 2008.

But, she later revealed her 'new' plan - to continue academic selection for another three years.

See: 11-plus Lives On!

(BMcC)