There are a number of clearly discernible patterns to the Cabinet formation process in Irish politics. The economic portfolios and foreign affairs take precedence and the remaining positions are filled subsequently.
Education is usually one of the later appointments. For much of the last century, the role of minister for education was seen as a junior and perhaps even a relatively easy one. Legend has it that one leading politician who, when offered his choice of portfolio in an incoming government, responded: “I’ve done my bit for Ireland, I’ll take education.”
Apocryphal perhaps, but this comment is illustrative of the perceived status of the education portfolio at a certain point in time. While there may be growing recognition of the importance of the education portfolio in Irish society , it seems in political circles it is still viewed as “junior”. Typically, those appointed to the role are either new to Cabinet or veterans filling their last ministerial post. More often than not, ministers for education serve for just over two years, on average, which leaves little time to bring about meaningful change or make a serious impact. (Donogh O’ Malley is perhaps the exception to this rule, although it is important to bear in mind that Patrick Hillery had undertaken a lot of necessary preparatory work in a tenure that lasted almost six years.)
The recent appointment of Helen McEntee as Minister for Education represents a significant departure from the usual pattern. As deputy leader of her party, it is reasonable to assume that she had a major, if not decisive, say in the portfolio assigned to her. As such, it is a particularly noteworthy appointment, especially if she serves a full term. Of course, what she makes of it remains to be seen. In many ways the vague nature of the programme for government presents her with a blank canvas. There is a range of issues on her desk that will provide an early clue as to her ambitions for her time in Marlborough Street. Two are especially interesting, one because she has identified it as a personal priority, and the second because it has been crying out for attention for well over a decade.
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In the matter of tackling educational disadvantage, McEntee has a free hand. It is now 20 years since the government devised the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (Deis) scheme which allocates additional resources to schools that cater for high numbers of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Despite widespread recognition that the Deis scheme has had a limited impact, it has never been the subject of fundamental reform.
Under the Deis programme, primary schools serving deprived areas are categorised into three grades of need: band one, band two and rural Deis. While it would be unrealistic to expect the Department of Education to devise a bespoke mechanism to determine the needs of each school, those working in such areas have long recognised that a wider range of bands is urgently required. At post-primary level, the inadequacy of the banding system is even starker, in that all schools fall under just one band or grade of disadvantage. The notion that all post-primary schools serving disadvantaged areas are the same is clearly an absurdity.
There is little sign that the political parties are greatly exercised by the subject of teacher supply. The programme for government is vague on the topic and contains no definite proposal, much less a clear commitment to actually address the issue
The second and major weakness in the Deis programme is that it is grossly underfunded both in terms of school-based personnel and support services. An OECD review last year described investment in Deis as a share of the overall education budget as “quite modest”, Moreover, the review team noted that the extension of the scheme to include additional schools in recent years occurred in the absence of a proportionate increase in budget. Thus, expenditure per capita under the scheme was in fact reduced.
More recently, the concept of Deis+ has been advanced. In their recent manifestos, all the main political parties declared support for the concept of Deis+, although none defined it clearly. Helen McEntee, following her appointment, identified educational disadvantage as one of her priorities. Clearly, if this is the case, one of the first actions she will take is to add additional bandings at primary and post-primary level and, above all, use her standing within her party to ensure that Deis schools are adequately resourced.
Ireland has been experiencing an acute teacher supply crisis for well over a decade. A teacher supply steering group, established in 2018 by the Department of Education, has been meeting for seven years now. While some marginal improvements can be noted, the crisis still persists. It seems that the previous minister for education and the department were relying on changing demographics to solve the problem, a laissez-faire approach which has proven to be wholly inadequate. Of course, the projected decline in the number of students will improve the situation at primary level but not for some time.
Moreover, the problem at post-primary level is more complex; it’s not just a question of the overall supply of teachers but one of ensuring that there is a sufficient number of qualified teachers in the various subject areas. Thus, the crisis endures and our younger citizens continue to be taught by unqualified personnel at both primary and post-primary level. Surely they are entitled to better.
There is little sign that the political parties are greatly exercised by the subject of teacher supply. The programme for government is vague on the topic and contains no definite proposal, much less a clear commitment to actually address the issue. The key question is whether the Minister acts on this issue or allows the current crisis to continue.
What the new Minister identifies as key priorities, how she proposes to address them and the extent of her resolve and ambition in managing her new portfolio will become clear over the coming months.
Prof Judith Harford and Dr Brian Fleming are based at UCD’s School of Education
