Board of Education (NI)
Transferor Representatives' Council Statement on Transfer Impasse
CHURCHES DESCRIBE UNREGULATED EDUCATION TRANSFER SYSTEM AS 'FAILURE IN GOOD GOVERNANCE'
The Education spokespersons for the three main protestant churches in Northern Ireland, Methodist, Church of Ireland and Presbyterian, have put on record their 'intense disappointment that the necessary political will did not exist to at least find an accommodation on an agreed and regulated interim arrangement for transfer'.
In a statement issued after a meeting, earlier this week, of the Transferor Representatives' Council which represents the three churches in matters of educational policy in Northern Ireland, the Revd Ian Ellis (Church of Ireland), the Revd Trevor Gribben (Presbyterian) and the Revd Trevor Jamison (Methodist)continued 'an unregulated system of transfer within Northern Ireland is something that is unacceptable to the overwhelming majority of the whole community and as such represents a failure in good governance.
'We would therefore call upon the Minister of Education and the political parties, even at this late stage, to seek to find agreement to enable regulated interim arrangements for transfer to be put in place.'
The spokespersons believe that any such interim arrangements would give some 'certainty and confidence' to children, parents, teachers and governors as well as creating space which they propose could be used by a "Working Group on Transfer" tasked with seeking to build a genuine longer term consensus.
However, the church spokespersons point out that for such a group to have the 'confidence of political parties and the wider community, it should be appointed in a consensual manner and made up largely of individuals from within the educational community, representing a range of necessary skills and views on transfer.'
The full text of the statement follows below.
Spokesperson for the group is the Revd Trevor Gribben who may be contacted on Tel. 028 9041 7207 or 075 2590 9186
STATEMENT FROM THE TRC REGARDING THE IMPASSE ON TRANSFER
Following a meeting of the Transferor Representatives' Council this week, the body which represents the voice of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Church of Ireland and the Methodist Church in Ireland on education matters in Northern Ireland, the Educational Spokespersons for these three
Churches issued the following statement:
As representatives of the Presbyterian, Church of Ireland and Methodist Churches, working in education, we wish to put on public record our intense disappointment that the necessary political will did not exist to at least find an accommodation on an agreed and regulated interim arrangement for transfer. It is clearly apparent that, even with the best efforts of many involved, much confusion and uncertainty exists among Principals and School Governors and that there is a deep sense of unease among teachers and parents of year 6 pupils in all primary schools.
An unregulated system of transfer within Northern Ireland is something that is unacceptable to the overwhelming majority of the whole community and as such represents a failure in good governance. We would therefore call upon the Minister of Education and the political parties, even at this late stage, to seek to find agreement to enable regulated interim arrangements for transfer to be put in place. This would create the certainty and confidence, which only such regulated interim transfer arrangements, can provide.
During the space created by agreed interim transfer arrangements, we would propose that a 'Working Group on Transfer' should be tasked with seeking to build a genuine longer-term consensus. To ensure such a Working Group on
Transfer has the confidence of political parties and the wider community, we would suggest that it should be appointed in a consensual manner and made up largely of individuals from within the educational community, representing a range of necessary skills and views on transfer.
Statement issued by:
Revd Ian W. Ellis (Secretary to the Church of Ireland Board of Education NI)
Revd Trevor D. Gribben (Education Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland)
Revd J. Trevor Jamieson (Northern Convenor of the Methodist Church in Ireland Board of Education)
Date 19th March 2009
ISSUED BY PRESBYTERIAN INFORMATION SERVICE
Stephen Lynas
Presbyterian Church Press Office
Church House
Belfast
BT1 6DW
Tel: 028 9032 2284
Fax: 028 9041 7307
Mobile: 07802 264 354