The business of giving schools more control has taken on a Pythonesque feel.
The new Education Committee was elected after years of instructions to transfer responsibilities from the centre to school boards. But the draft legislation it inherited transferred not a single responsibility to them.
Most school board members would be appointed by Education. Officials at Education would have extensive powers over them. The boards’ functions would be decided by Education’s orders. And on it goes.
The new committee had three logical options: scrap devolution, continue but be clear these reforms are insubstantial, or withdraw the draft legislation and make changes to get on with devolution.
Yesterday we learned that instead it will go to next week’s States meeting with a surreal proposition, arguing that black is white.
It wants to remove an Education official from each board, a cosmetic change, and impose on boards a grandly worded purpose clause, while still denying them the tools needed to carry out that purpose.
It’s a charade to commit to devolution and then drive legislation in the opposite direction. Deputies are being edged towards an arguably irreversible mistake. A good number of experienced, wise States members know this, and should have the courage to say it and stop it.
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