Daniel McConnell: Education Minister waffles on as Leaving Cert students suffer again
Have we learned nothing?
Why, at such a critical time, has the country been landed with a rookie minister when confusion around our education system is swirling all around us?
The last government paid a price for putting rookie ministers in critical portfolios and it seems this new Government is about to repeat the same mistake.
Quite frankly, the system is in chaos and the Department of Education is the one which has handled the Covid-19 crisis the worst.
Schools have been shut since March.
It is now mid-July and parents have no idea if and when their kids are going back to school.
Schools still have no idea when or how they can bring kids back to school.
Much of the blame for the earlier debacles belongs to the last education minister, Joe McHugh, who caused untold and unnecessary suffering to pupils, parents, and teachers alike with his botched handling of things.
But now on the watch of his successor, Norma Foley, 60,000 Leaving Certificate students have had yet another delay heaped upon them after a year of hell, because of bureaucratic ballsology.
Is it unfair to suggest someone is out of their depth after three weeks in the job?
Perhaps.
But while so much attention in recent days has been on the circumstances of Barry Cowen’s departure from office, it is alarming to see how poor Foley’s handling of the Department of Education has been.
Foley is no political novice at local level, having served on Kerry County Council since 2004.
She's a three-time mayor and is steeped in politics, being the daughter of Denis Foley, the former Fianna Fáil TD who resigned from the Fianna Fail parliamentary party after it was disclosed that he held an Ansbacher account and he appeared at the Moriarty tribunal.
However, she is not her father’s keeper and is responsible only for her own actions.
In the run-up to the announcement of Micheál Martin’s Cabinet this day three weeks ago, Foley was seen as an outside bet for the role that was being referred to as the “woman seat” at the table.
This was despite Anne Rabbitte’s role in the government formation talks and being a second term TD.
But it was Foley, not Rabbitte, who got the nod and into the Department of Education she was placed.
Much has been made of her personal friendship with Martin’s family by her internal critics as to why she was selected.
It is also significant that she was placed into the Department of Education given the Taoiseach’s long-standing passion for what was his first ministerial job.
The newly appointed education minister faced significant criticism from opposition TDs, the media, and the public after she boasted about the approval of a grant for a school in her constituency just days into the job.
Foley sent a tweet announcing emergency funding for Dromclough National School, Listowel, Co Kerry, "so that they can carry out Universal Access Works".
This morning I am pleased to announce the approval of emergency funding for Dromclough National School, Listowel so that they can carry out Universal Access Works. pic.twitter.com/yCbaI5J6dy
— Norma Foley T.D (@NormaFoleyTD1) July 3, 2020
Her tweet was sharply criticised by education spokespeople in opposition parties. "I appreciate that she is a TD for Kerry, obviously she has to represent her constituents, but I think it is tone-deaf to put that up in lights as a major first step when there are so many major challenges facing the departments," said Cork Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire.
Perhaps we could put that down to a bit of first-time naivety and poor judgement.
The questionable judgement of putting a first-time TD and minister into Education came to the fore this week in relation to the Leaving Certificate.
A disastrous interview of sheer gobbledygook in the last week did little to instil any confidence in a minister who is facing into a tricky period.
Legitimate and straight questions were met with evasion, obfuscation, and downright spoofery. The kicker was the halting of the interview after 25 minutes because she was “flat out busy”.
More importantly, when she was being questioned in the Dáil on Thursday during a sitting at the Convention Centre, Foley was once again in arse-boxing mode.
She was in the Dáil to discuss revised estimates for her department but details of what she was looking for were vague, to say the least.
Opposition TDs used the occasion to raise other relevant issues about what’s happening in schools.
Labour’s education spokesman Aodhán O Ríordáin asked her a straight question.
“It has come to my attention that the department has now conceded that the Leaving Certificate results will not now be announced until the first week in September. Is the minister in a position to confirm this?
"If that is the situation, what preparations is the department making for this eventuality? The assumption heretofore was that the Leaving Certificate results would become available on pretty much the same date as they always have,” he asked.
Foley's response was appalling.
“On the issue the deputy raised of the release of the Leaving Certificate results, the next step is that students will re-engage with the portal regarding their desire to receive calculated grades," she waffled.
"At that time also, the date for receipt of Leaving Certificate results will also be revealed. I acknowledge that this is very much a joined-up approach with third-level colleges. Whatever announcements are made and arrangements put in place, this will be very much a joined-up approach and no student will be disadvantaged in any shape or form."
Three hours later, she issued a press release revealing all the details that she was asked about on the floor of the Dáil.
She confirmed that there would be a three-week delay to the Leaving Cert results coming out, so students will not get them until September 7, which has huge knock-on impacts for college applications, students trying to sort grants, and accommodation.
So after three weeks, Foley has overseen yet another delay to the Leaving Cert.
With six weeks to go until the start of the new school years, kids, parents, and schools have no idea will they be open one day a week or five days a week.
“There is no roadmap, no funding. Much of this is not her fault but that of Joe McHugh, but she has not grabbed the bull by the horns by any means,” said Ó Laoghaire.
He is right. At a time of national crisis, we have no time to afford to bed in such inexperienced ministers.
I rang Norma Foley yesterday to inform her of my intention of writing this column at 2.35pm but she did not answer.
I attempted to leave a message but her mailbox was full. Earlier, I tried to contact a press officer in the department but no answer there either.
“Flat out busy,” I suppose.
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