Monday 22 December 2008

A hero for our time?

Education Minister Cartiona Ruane managed to draw much unionist ire this week – twice.
Ms Ruane first announced the ending of the pilot Pupil Profile scheme, with parents dismissing it as vague and too politically correct. The profile was designed, long before Ms Ruane was handed the poisoned education chalice, to aid transfer to post-primary school without academic selection.

The Education Minister announced a return to old-fashioned school reports…and lo and behold a new row over academic selection boiled over.

As if this wasn’t enough for Ms Ruane, she then stepped into unionist sights when making a prize day speech at St Colm’s High School, Twinbrook. During her speech she said that the pupils should be thankful for the sacrifice of hunger striker Bobby Sands for helping pave a way to a better future for them.

Apart from the politics students picking up prizes, pupils might have wondered why their prize-giving attracted so much media attention.

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