Skills in the ESA
The Department of Education will continue to cut spending in management and support services until the Education and Skills Authority is established in 2013. It will have a limited remit in the skills sector.
Why is the word ‘skills’ included in the name of the [Education and Skills Authority]?” the DUP’s Brenda Hale asked the Assembly in November. The Lagan Valley MLA queried if there was “a political point implied in the use of that word”, adding: “Not all schools in Northern Ireland would agree with that term, as many schools focus on educational and academic achievement.”
A spokeswoman from the Department of Education told agendaNi: “The word ‘skills’ has been in the title from the early days of the Review of Public Administration, and reflects the breadth of the school curriculum, which includes skills.”
The ESA will be responsible for pushing schools to raise standards, streamlining management and services and area planning.
Following six years of delay and dispute, the Programme for Government committed to implementing the ESA and the new Executive agreed that legislation will be in place by July 2012 and the ESA established by April 2013.
It currently exists in a ‘transitional form’ (under Chairman-designate Seán Hogan and Chief Executive-designate Gavin Boyd). First announced in November 2005, with an April 2008 deadline, the ESA was put back to 1 January 2010 by the previous Executive amid political wrangling between Sinn Féin and the DUP, and fears that the main Protestant churches (transferors) would lose their influence.
£12.1 million had been spent on the ESA as of 31 August 2011. The Minister has said he is “conscious that the costs are rising in regard to a body that we have yet to establish.” It was supposed to deliver savings of £20 million per annum. The department’s savings delivery plan requires cuts of £45 million in each of the next four financial years, from management and administration and professional support services.
Progress to date includes common ICT platforms across the education sector, the centralisation of software licensing, the creation of a single finance system across the education sector and consultation on plans for the future delivery of services to ensure they are centrally managed, while retaining a “strong local presence where appropriate” i.e. offices across Northern Ireland.
The ESA will take over the functions, assets and liabilities of eight bodies: the five education and library boards, their staff commission, the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) and the Youth Council. The futures of the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), and the Education and Training Inspectorate are still to be decided. The Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE) and Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (which will continue to represent the integrated and Irish medium sectors respectively) will be largely unaffected.
During his autumn statement to the Assembly, John O’Dowd said that the strategic planning of schools and education delivery could not be put off any longer and commissioned the five education and library boards and the CCMS to work together on a viability audit of post-primary schools. The Boards are still working on their audits. The Northern Ireland Commission for Catholic Education released its post-primary review outlining the closure of five schools and amalgamation proposals for five regional areas.
OFMDFM published the heads of agreement the same month, which state that the boards of governors will maintain the same influence over school ownership, staff recruitment and dismissal. The ESA’s 20-member board will have eight seats for political representatives (allocated by d’Hondt), eight for the main churches and four filled by Education Minister appointees. The Chair will also be appointed by the Minister. Sectoral support bodies will be set up for the controlled sector for the first time and the Catholic maintained sector (replicating CCMS) to protect their ethos.
