Monday 26 January 2009

Educate me, teach me, learn me

You want your child to go to Grammar School? Then you’ll now have a choice of which examination to sit. One group announced this week that common tests could be taken on school campuses to gain entrance to one of several schools.

This splinter group of grammar schools – separate from the “Quality Education” group has sourced their own tests.

Of course, with grammar schools now setting their own pseudo 11+ the Education Minister was less than happy.

Education Minister Caitriona Ruane was even less over-joyed at the intervention of Bishop Donal McKeown, the head of the Commission for Catholic Education who went public to say he understood the frustration of those Grammar principles who set their own common entrance exam.

Bishop McKeown’s views seem to indicate that the church’s previous stance on no to independent testing has been set aside as long as the impasse remains.

As this came on the day that the Vatican launched its own Youtube channel, ‘Tubers’ are eagerly awaiting a cyber-debate between Pope Benedict XVI and educationalists. But whether the children can watch depends on whether IT skills are on the proposed transfer test(s).

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