Education Law ‘likely to be in place for 50 years’
AN EDUCATION LAW fit for purpose and likely to be in place for the next 50 years or so was how Education, Sport & Culture president Andrea Dudley-Owen described the committee’s proposals as debate began yesterday.
The old law had become an anachronism, she said, and change was long overdue.
But she stressed that the committee did not intend for the law to ‘over-reach’ into the operation of education settings, and what happened in schools at 9am on a Tuesday morning was not a matter for the law, which would be left to the schools to look after.
The law set out necessary commitments around the curriculum, but did not dictate the curriculum itself, she said.
‘At its heart is a clear focus on the best interests of the learner,’ said Deputy Dudley-Owen, ‘especially where that learner is a child.’
On the subject of the island's independent schools, she said it was not intended to reach into the operation of those that exist now or that might exist in the future apart from where there is a need to do so for safeguarding reasons to protect a child’s rights.
There were future-proofing provisions, too, including participation age, which noted the need to keep the island’s population well-trained and skilled.
This would allow a future committee to enact a requirement to enable a person’s education to continue after they have left school and started earning.
No young person should leave education without qualifications, she said.
Turning to the new idea of governance boards, she said the committee had agreed that it was not appropriate for any politician to have a place on these and for there to be community representatives involved.
One effect of this would be to avoid any political influence and it would ensure an ‘appropriate balance of power’ rested with the chairman of the board.
While not directly addressing calls for there to be a sursis on a final decision, made by school committees which wanted more consultation, she referred to extensive stakeholder consultation that had taken place.
Key stakeholder engagement groups had been set up, there had been two questionnaires plus additional presentations. ‘We feel there has been a thorough approach to this law,’ she said.
And once the report was approved she said that there would be an opportunity for key stakeholders to partner with the committee in preparing the legislation.
