EDUCATION AND SCIENCE:Minister for Education and Science, Michael WoodsTrack recordMichael Woods has suffered in comparison to his predecessor, the younger and more dynamic Micheál Martin. He was a surprising choice to take over the education mantle. As one might expect for someone who has been around the Cabinet table for almost a quarter century, Woods has been surefooted.
There have been no appalling howlers and no hint of scandal. He handled the ASTI dispute smoothly, although the union's spectacular own goals and its failure to muster public support made it easy for him.
The downside is that there has also been a vision deficit. Woods has had vastly more money to spend than any of his predecessors. Some of it has been spent wisely on educational disadvantage, special education and in efforts to improve literacy. But he has been slow to frame a coherent vision for education in the future.
Many of the same old problems still beset education. Many schools are still - even now - hugely dependent on voluntary fund-raising. Many school-buildings remain sub-standard.
The teaching profession continues to suffer from a severe morale problem. Parents, by and large, continue to be excluded from all real say in education.
At third-level, the recent Skilbeck report raised numerous provocative questions about the future of the university sector. How will the colleges cope with the 35 per cent fall in school leavers to 2012? How can access be genuinely improved and how can universities become more accountable to the public? Woods's capacity to make an imprint on these issues has been limited by his short period in office. He has been Education Minister for just over two years and - with the exception of the ASTI strike - has been slow to take on the big issues. In characteristic fashion, he has been cautious and defensive.
Although titled Minister for Education and Science, he generally allows Minister of State, Noel Treacy, to deal with the latter aspect of the brief.
Main achievement
Woods deserves great credit for his reform of the Department. He brought in a former civil servant, Seán Cromien, to review the workings of his Department. The Cromien Report represented a searing indictment; it depicted a Department drowning under the pressure of daily business with little breathing space to develop policy. In response, key functions of the Department - including the operation of the exams - will be hived off to new agencies. The result should be more time to develop policy.
Biggest failure
The Sinnot case represented a low point in Woods's career. His decision to pursue Kathyrn Sinnot through the courts was condemned as cruel and insensitive. Woods, the technocrat par excellence, underestimated the moral authority of Kathryn Sinnot - and the tide of public support she enjoyed.
Woods came from a political tradition where the need to protect the public purse was very much a first principle. From Kilbarrack in north Dublin, he has a natural empathy with "ordinary" people - but this seemed to desert him in the Sinnot case. He left himself vulnerable to the charge that he saw the Jamie Sinnot case only in monetary terms. It was an unfair charge, but it stuck politically.
In fairness, he has done much to improve special education. Annual funding has increased tenfold to €85 million and the rights of parents are being respected. But the Sinnot case has cast a long shadow.
Prospects
Woods will contest his seventh election shortly. He still begins each day with a constituency clinic in his home. There is a widespread view in education circles that he will not be returning as Minister. Already, there is feverish speculation as to the identity of his successor, with people such as Mary Hanafin and Brian Lenihan thought to be in the frame - if Fianna Fáil leads the next government.
There has been some loose talk that Woods would make an ideal Ceann Comhairle, but this depends on the political arithmetic in the new Dáil.
Sean Flynn, Education Editor
OPPOSITION
Fine Gael
Michael Creed
First elected to the Dáil in 1989, Michael Creed was seen as a rising star in the party. But he has yet to make a significant impact in the Dáil. Part of it could be explained by Fine Gael's long years on the Opposition benches, with the exception of the Rainbow period. The absence of ministerial office can have a demoralising effect on a young, ambitious deputy.
A supporter of Michael Noonan for the leadership, he was rewarded with the education portfolio. Despite his undoubted ability, his work rate and Dáil performance fall short of what was expected of him.
He did well last month when highlighting the poor conditions of hundreds of classrooms throughout the State. But, overall, he has failed to land a significant political blow on the Minister.
Labour
Róisín Shortall
Energetic, hardworking, and a champion of the underprivileged, she is a diligent Opposition spokeswoman. But the Minister, Dr Woods, has shown himself to have an uncanny ability to escape Opposition blows.
Some of it is due to an ability to stonewall, sharpened over his long years in various Departments. He also has a de Valera-like ability to wear out the Opposition with rambling replies to questions. This has helped him outwit Shortall on several occasions.
Nevertheless, her probing and tenacious style at Question Time has made an impact. Her strong support for teachers may have left Labour with a hostage to fortune if it achieves power.
M. O'R.
