Opinion

Editorial: Lessons to learn for Education Authority

AFTER the Independent Neurology Inquiry exposed alarming failings in the health service earlier this week, it has been the turn of the education system to have its governance put under the microscope.

While not dealing with the same matters of life and death, the Education Authority (EA) is a body with responsibility for the wellbeing of 350,000 pupils in more than 1,000 schools and a budget of in excess of £2 billion.

It was set up in 2015 to replace the north's five education and library boards in what was the first major reorganisation of schools administration for four decades.

The aim was to simplify and streamline structures and ensure modern governance arrangements which would provide consistency across Northern Ireland.

While a period of adjustment was certainly to be expected, it is certainly a case of 'could do better' in a review commissioned by the Department of Education.

Consultancy firm Baker Tilly Mooney Moore did begin by recognising that real progress has been made by the EA in recent years, thanks in large part to many highly skilled and dedicated staff.

However, it added that the majority of observers "would recognise that the organisation has been on the 'backfoot' for too long, has inflicted too many 'own goals' and has been too slow in responding to the needs of the system it has been set up to support".

Worryingly, the report states there is "confusion on the role and remit of the EA within the authority itself and more broadly across the wider education system".

Unsurprisingly, given underfunding of public services in recent years, it does not appear to have sufficient resources to meet its broad range of responsibilities.

However, feedback from the education system suggests it is not engaging properly with schools, with problems including communication, inconsistency of advice and a "general sense that process is more important than supporting a school or principal".

Just as the health service has been urged to refocus on patient safety, the EA has been told it "urgently needs to become more child and pupil-centric in its approach".

The review is a timely one after seven years of bedding in and it will be crucial that the implementation of its recommendations is monitored regularly to ensure lessons are learned.

It is dispiriting that, as in many other areas, the assembly is currently unable to fulfil this important scrutiny role given the DUP's boycott of the institutions.