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23/01/2006
Human rights laws challenge to abolition of 11-plus
The government could face a legal challenge on their decision to scrap the 11-plus, it was revealed today.
A pro-grammar school organisation is set to launch a campaign using human rights laws to halt changes to the selection procedure.
UK Unionist Party leader, Bob McCartney is supporting the movement, saying that the education of Northern Ireland's children is under threat.
He said that Northern Ireland currently has the best A-Level results in the UK, and 42.5% of its students from disadvantaged homes, are able to go to University, whereas the Comprehensive system sends 28.2%.
However, Sinn Fein's Michael Ferguson said this was "scaremongering" and challenged the opponents to prove that an end to academic selection would lead to an end to grammar schools.
He said: "The pro-grammar school lobby are peddling a lot of myths about the end of academic selection and the 11-plus.
"The use of academic selection at the age of 10 or 11 through the 11+ fails
80% of our children annually. It brands the majority of our children as
failures and has an adverse impact on many in terms of their sense of worth
and esteem.
"What we need is to make every school the best school. This requires investment that is not there at the minute."
The then Education Minister, Jane Kennedy, announced in 2004 that the government was abolishing academic selection in Northern Ireland.
The last 11-plus transfer test is scheduled to take place in 2008.
(EF/SP)
A pro-grammar school organisation is set to launch a campaign using human rights laws to halt changes to the selection procedure.
UK Unionist Party leader, Bob McCartney is supporting the movement, saying that the education of Northern Ireland's children is under threat.
He said that Northern Ireland currently has the best A-Level results in the UK, and 42.5% of its students from disadvantaged homes, are able to go to University, whereas the Comprehensive system sends 28.2%.
However, Sinn Fein's Michael Ferguson said this was "scaremongering" and challenged the opponents to prove that an end to academic selection would lead to an end to grammar schools.
He said: "The pro-grammar school lobby are peddling a lot of myths about the end of academic selection and the 11-plus.
"The use of academic selection at the age of 10 or 11 through the 11+ fails
80% of our children annually. It brands the majority of our children as
failures and has an adverse impact on many in terms of their sense of worth
and esteem.
"What we need is to make every school the best school. This requires investment that is not there at the minute."
The then Education Minister, Jane Kennedy, announced in 2004 that the government was abolishing academic selection in Northern Ireland.
The last 11-plus transfer test is scheduled to take place in 2008.
(EF/SP)
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