Press Release
Date: Monday 10 October 2005 (NR/25/05)
Make changes to Education Structures Now, urges CCEA
The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) has called on government to immediately set in motion plans to rationalise the education service in Northern Ireland .
In its response to the Review of Public Administration CCEA says that the current arrangements, which allow for duplication of services and a multiplicity of interfaces, are impeding the delivery of key initiatives such as the implementation of the revised curriculum and assessment arrangements.
Chairman of CCEA Dr Alan Lennon commented:
“This review is a unique opportunity to rationalise and bring cohesion to all aspects of education in Northern Ireland . Our vision is for an education service that is built on the needs of all learners, that has strong leadership and is served by a small number of bodies with clearly defined responsibilities delivering quality assured services .”
CCEA’s main proposals include:
- Replacing the present two government departments (DE and DEL ) with a single department with responsibility for education and skills in Northern Ireland .
- Replacing the current plethora of education bodies with two principal agencies responsible for delivering education services:
- A Curriculum, Assessment and Teacher Support body (CATS) providing advice, development, delivery and support for curriculum, assessment and qualifications.
- An Education Services Body offering a broad range of support services.
- Ensuring responsibility for the conduct of assessment and examinations is within the Curriculum, Assessment and Teacher Support body.
- Ensuring that decisions are now made quickly to allow for an immediate start to the process of transition
Dr Lennon continued:
“Although we advocate swift change, we would also like to see change built on existing demonstrably successful quality assured structures. We see no reason why the work of creating the CATS body cannot start at once, with at its core the proven sound principles of research-led policy development and the delivery of world class curriculum, assessment and qualifications for Northern Ireland .”
CCEA’s full response document is available on its website - www.ccea.org.uk
Media enquiries to Ruth Maguire on (028) 9026 1216, Mobile 07796947993. E mail rhmaguire@ccea.org.uk
ENDS
Note to Editors
CCEA is the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment.
CCEA places learners and those who have a concern for their educational and personal development at the forefront of its thinking. CCEA's mission is:
"To enable the full potential of all learners to be achieved and recognised"
What we do
CCEA is a unique educational body in the UK , bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
Advising Government – on what should be taught in Northern Ireland ’s schools and colleges.
Monitoring Standards – ensuring that the qualifications and examinations offered by awarding bodies in Northern Ireland are of an appropriate quality and standard.
Awarding Qualifications
– as Northern Ireland’s leading awarding body we offer a diverse range of qualifications, such as GCSEs, including the new GCSE Double Award specifications in vocational subjects, GCE A and AS levels, Entry Level Qualifications, and Graded Objectives in Modern Languages.
- CCEA also offers a range of Awards and Certificates in Education, Training and Skills (ACETS) targeted at learners who want to get
the knowledge, understanding and skills needed
to hit the ground running in the world of work.
