The history of the education system in Northern Ireland
This historical account of the Northern Ireland (NI) education system is divided into four key periods in its development: the period before the abolition of the NI Parliament, the period of direct rule from 1971-1999, the period of the NI Assembly and the system in operation today.
Before the abolition of the Northern Ireland Parliament in 1972
In 1921 the partition of Ireland established NI as a separate political entity to the rest of the UK. Although still part pf the UK, NI developed it own parliament and government. Prior to this, almost all National (primary) Schools in Ireland, established from 1827 onwards and publicly funded, were denominational schools controlled by the churches.
In the decades leading up to the partition, education reforms in England had increased public control over schools and lessened the influence of churches. However, these reforms were not introduced in either part of Ireland until about 20 years after the partition, when Protestant churches transferred their schools to state control. However, Catholic churches in the North maintained control over their schools. The state schools became known as 'controlled schools' and the Catholic schools as 'maintained schools.'
Both types of schools had their recurrent costs, including teachers' salaries, paid for by the government. Initially in controlled schools, capital costs were met by the government, while maintained schools had to find 50 per cent of their capital costs. However, the state share of capital costs for maintained schools has increased over the years to the point where schools that agree to waive their right to a majority on the board of governors can receive 100 per cent of capital costs.
In 1944, the Butler Act (the Education Act 1944) was introduced in England and laid the foundation for the modern English education system. It abolished the distinction between elementary and higher education, and set up a unified system of free, compulsory schooling from the age of 5 to 15. The NI government introduced similar measures in 1947 - The Education (Northern Ireland) Act, leading to the possibility of secondary and university education for many people from less advantaged backgrounds.
Although comprehensive education was introduced to England in the 1960's, no similar measures were taken in NI (with the exception of one small area), where grammar schools remain prevalent. Selection for the grammar schools is based on Transfer Tests for 11 year olds, which assess academic ability.
The period of direct rule from 1972 - 1999
In 1972 the NI Parliament was abolished and legislation for NI, on various matters including education, was by way of Order, in Council at Westminster. Debate on legislation was limited and the typically reforms that had already taken place in Great Britain were reproduced in NI.
Since 1986 there have been four major Education (Northern Ireland) Orders, each mirroring (albeit with some delay) provisions at Westminster. For example, the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 replicates many of the major changes in the English and Welsh Education Act 1988, including open enrolment, the statutory curriculum, the reform of governing bodies and LMS (Local Management of Schools).
In many instances the law is identical (for example, special educational needs). In other areas, the legislation has been tailored to reflect the local political and cultural context (such as the inclusion of the theme of education for mutual understanding in the NI Curriculum).
The period of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 1999 - 2002
With the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly in 1999, direct rule ceased and devolution was reintroduced to NI. This gave the locally elected Minister for Education (Martin Maguinness of Sinn Fein) legislative responsibility for education.
The Minister did bring in some changes; for example, he abolished league tables and initiated the abolishment of the Transfer test (11+), following a review of the selection system.
The Assembly was dissolved in 2002 and direct rule was reintroduced.
The education system today
In January 2004, the Government announced that the Transfer tests will end in 2008. This will have a profound effect on the education system in NI.
Today, there are more than 350,000 pupils in full time education. The Department of Education dispenses, through the five regional Education and Library Boards (ELB's), an annual budget of £1.3 billion.
More than 35 per cent of pupils now leave with A-level qualifications (three quarters of these with 3 or more A's) and more than 58 per cent gain GCSE's. The figure for those who leave with no formal qualifications has been reduced to around 3 per cent (in the mid 1980's, this was more than 17 per cent).
There are now more than 20,000 teachers and the pupil: teacher ratio is almost 17:1.
