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A good education is a right for all children

Wednesday, 21 April 2010

All children have the right to a good education and should not be forced to undergo the stress involved in sitting unregulated tests.

That was the message from the Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, as she responded to the Association for Quality Education (AQE) and Post Primary Transfer Association’s (PPTA) joint statement on their failure to agree a common set of tests for their process of selection/rejection.

The Minister said: “My Department’s Transfer 2010 guidance sets the way forward for all schools to enable children to transfer from primary to post-primary school without the need for stressful, unnecessary and unsound testing. This guidance remains the position of my Department and should continue to be used in 2011 as the basis for school admissions.

“The AQE and PPTA have met on three occasions and on three occasions they have failed to find a consensus on their way forward. This reflects the deep divisions amongst this group of schools and the fact that a significant number of them have decided they can no longer justify picking and choosing the children they want to teach. Surely, it is now time for all schools to join with the rest of the education system and ensure that every child can access a good education without having their future held to ransom on the results of a test.

“No child should to be put through the pressure of multiple tests by the AQE and PPTA. Rather than focussing on the narrow procedure of admitting children into post-primary school, we must instead commit ourselves to meeting the real challenges in education; raising standards; tackling underachievement and reforming our education system – that is what will make the real difference to our children’s futures and that is what will ensure equality is given to all.”

Notes to editors:

  1. Media enquiries to the Department of Education Press Office Tel: 028 9127 9207. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715 440 and your call will be returned.