Time to forge ahead on education
FOLLOWERS of the wranglings between the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture and Policy & Resources will be watching with interest today as Education meets the Scrutiny Management Committee. Given the well-publicised in-fighting among deputies and civil servants at Education, the ambiguously worded correspondence which led to the confusion as to whether or not the president of Education was told by the Policy & Resources president and States chief executive to stay away from today's meeting, and if he would actually appear at the meeting, it is fair to say that the lead-up has been less than illustrious. Whatever the minutiae and the bumpy road that has led to this point, today's meeting will provide Scrutiny with the chance to demonstrate the value it can add to the political process. As ordinary islanders, we can only sit back and hope Scrutiny does not drop the ball.
As the present Education president is a past vice-president of Scrutiny, he will be well aware of the need for his committee to be prepared to lay its cards on the table at this public meeting and state its aims not only for education, but for culture and sport.
Education needs to be as honest as it can be without hiding behind the November debate. The committee has now released its policy letter outlining its plans for the future of secondary education, which means that the whole emotive debate will be re-lived as this Assembly can choose to discard the decision of the previous one.
For families with children of primary school age, this can mean only one thing. More waiting, more uncertainty and more confusion.
Whatever individuals may feel about the selection process, the political inertia has dragged on for far too long and must now end. What could have been settled shortly after the election remains undecided as we approach the end of the year. A decision must be reached and the sword of Damocles which has hung over the heads of too many island families must be cut down. The new Assembly must now have the courage of its convictions and forge a decisive way forward for the future of secondary education in Guernsey.
