Individual Post

Sinn Féín MLA Barry McElduff has called on the Education Minister to focus on addressing academic underachievement.

The Chair of the Education Committee said:

“Rather than reinforcing academic selection the Minister needs to address the issue of educational underachievement.

“Academic selection is not the way forward.

“There is a whole body of educational research and evidence that demonstrates that academic selection is one of the contributors to poor educational outcomes and also leads to social divisions.

“Under Sinn Féin Ministers over the past decade we have seen year on year improvements in achievement and attainment levels.

“The Education Committee has just finalised the terms of reference for a Committee Inquiry that will run throughout 2017 that will focus on educational underachievement, including an examination of the role academic selection might play.

“Sinn Féin will continue to express our opposition to tests at the age of 10 and a half and 11 years of age.”