Education Bill will cause deadlock and confrontation

The Ulster Unionist Party has today criticised the Minister of Education Caitriona Ruane for failing to secure consensus on the Education Bill describing it as 'confrontational' and potentially leading to the seizure of the entire education system.

During a UUP Assembly debate, UUP MLA John McCallister stressed the serious reservations the UUP had about the Bill's content and general direction.

"We have been raising our serious concerns about the Education Bill since its initial introduction; we were quick to realise that this Bill had the potential to cause deadlock and confrontation. Unfortunately we have been proven right. From the beginning the UUP has been urging all parties to reflect seriously on the practical, democratic and inclusive ramifications that the Bill will have for our entire educational system and for our society"

"I appreciate that other parties are now coming to terms with how potentially damaging the Minister's proposals are, but I am afraid much of the opposition has come too late to avoid the current impasse. Instead of the Minister accepting genuine concerns and reasoned opposition she has pushed ahead with another ideological crusade. We are now stuck in another quagmire of incompetence. The Education Bill is bureaucratic, overly centralising and which will debilitate the ability of schools to manage their own affairs and to get the best educational outcomes for children in Northern Ireland."

"Our education system faces a very uncertain future - people on the streets are utterly confused about what motivates and drives their politicians and they are right to question certain parties' commitment to good Government."

"There is a very real concern that the Minister's proposals will ultimately diminish our education system - it is time that Sinn Fein recognised their failure in this regard and return the Education Bill to its original purpose, which was to streamline and improve educational administration.

ENDS