Criticism of plans for education 'unfair'

CRITICISM OF the Government’s education strategies by a former leading university academic was “unfair” and misinformed, the Department of Education has said.

Prof Tom Begley, who was until recently dean of UCD’s Smurfit and Quinn business schools, said the Leaving Cert should be scrapped and the Government “does not have a clue” how to manage third-level education.

In an interview published in the Sunday Timesyesterday, Mr Begley, a US academic who has returned to the US after seven years at UCD, said the Government lacked a strategy for third-level education, although he said Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn was showing "some good early signs".

In relation to the Leaving Cert he is reported as saying: “I would love to see it taken out into a field and blown up. It is completely dysfunctional.”

A spokeswoman for the department yesterday said Mr Quinn was on the record in relation to his concerns about the “points system” for third-level entry and the effect this had had on the Leaving Cert and the readiness of new entrants into higher education.

She said Mr Quinn had asked the heads of the universities and institutes of technology to submit by September ideas for improving the system of entry to third level. These ideas would be used as the basis for a conference on the transfer from second to third level.

Plans for the reform of the Junior Cert were already in train, she said, and it was expected that the 2012 secondary school entrants would be starting a “revamped” junior cycle course. It was the intention that these students would go on to sit a reformed Leaving Cert.

“Perhaps Tom Begley is not completely au fait with what the Minister has already begun to do. Bearing in mind that he has only been Minister since March 10th, the criticism is unfair,” she said.

However, the positive comments made by Mr Begley in relation to Mr Quinn showing promise were welcome, she added.

Mr Begley, who has been appointed to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, said last year’s Hunt report, which outlined a national strategy on higher education, was a great disappointment.

Mr Quinn has said while the strategy was not perfect it provided a “sufficient blueprint” for action to improve the higher education sector.