Editor's Viewpoint: Education is in dire need of an overhaul [belfasttelegraph.co.uk]
- Published: 22 September 2011
Education Minister John O'Dowd, undoubtedly, has one of the toughest jobs in the Executive.
He is set to unveil his blueprint for the future of the sector on Monday, but the range of challenges facing him is enormous and pressing. Whatever his vision for the future, it is bound to attract criticism as education is replete with vested interests determined to protect their own niches.
Like other big-spending departments, education is facing a serious shortfall in its budget, losing £700m over the next four years. It is estimated that some 20% of schools are already in debt and that figure is rising. Add into the mix the current over-supply of teachers, the huge number of empty desks in schools, possibly as many as 85,000, and the shocking figure of 4,000 pupils who leave school each year without achieving five good GCSE qualifications.
