Time for Quinn to prove that education is truly for everyone

DEAR Minister Quinn, Let me congratulate you first of all, if that’s not impertinent, on the great start you’ve made in the Department of Education.

It has been like watching and feeling a breath of fresh air to see you challenging some of the long-accepted myths around Irish education. You look like a man who’s willing to make a fresh start, and base it on some fundamental principles.

You’ve probably already discovered, if you didn’t already know, that there are a lot of vested interests in the system. And it may have come as a bit of a shock to discover that your department, which the rest of us believe is responsible for the education of our children, actually has a very hands-off approach to education.