Good education ‘could become a commodity’

QUALITY education is in danger of becoming a consumer commodity instead of a public right, the head of the body reviewing the Leaving Certificate warned yesterday.

Anne Looney, chief executive of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), stressed the dangers of competition among schools to principals. But delegates at the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) conference in Killarney were also told about the ability of radical changes being planned for senior cycle education to help redress moves towards private education.

Ms Looney said society is in danger of moving from looking at education as a public good to being a private asset, and students are judged as better than others if they don’t have to share a school with them.

“There is a four or five-tier system emerging but everyone must pay a big price for the advantage gained by those who can navigate their way to the first tier. Competition makes great airlines but it makes terrible schools,” Ms Looney said.

She said the transition-year option has almost disappeared from schools in central Dublin, even though it is compulsory in suburban schools.

“Schools in the inner city would say transition year has been driven out by competition between schools. Parents in these areas view it as time wasted for students because they could be out working once they leave school,” said Ms Looney.

The NCCA is finalising details of an overhaul of senior cycle education, which would include the option of students studying shorter courses and transition units, with less emphasis on the final exams.

Malahide Community School principal Patricia McDonagh said parents were pushing the privatisation of education but that teachers and principals must convince them that the proposed changes are in everybody’s interest.

“The new senior cycle will make it very difficult for the likes of grind schools, where staff just sit there and lecture students. With these changes, they will be left with a very narrow focus and we will win the battle for education as a public good,” she said.

Christopher McQuinn, principal of Tullow Community School in Co Carlow, said society is placing huge demands on schools to deliver the goods.

“People are now willing to pay financially to get their child on top of the social pile, as they see it. But the more people we include in schools, the more people are going to seek to exclude others,” he said.