The education sector should lose some of its obsession with resources and concentrate more clearly on evaluation, the Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, said yesterday.
The Minister said those within the sector often appeared preoccupied with "inputs" but there was a need for more critical scrutiny of the resources which have been committed. "Every now and again we need to assess outputs."
No area of education spending could just be allowed to absorb more public money without someone taking stock, he added.
Mr Dempsey was speaking during a lengthy presentation to the Oireachtas Education Committee on the €6.6 billion education spending estimate for the current year. Spending, he said, has doubled since 1997 with an additional 5,000 primary and 1,600 second-level teachers. There has also been a four-fold increase in funds for school buildings and some 20,000 more students at third-level.
In a wide-ranging review Mr Dempsey also announced he had no plans to scrap the controversial Irish exam for primary teachers trained outside the State. Major reforms to the exam had been announced recently which would make it easier for the many good teachers trained elsewhere to gain recognition here. But it was still important for all primary teachers to have a good knowledge of the Irish language, he said.
Mr Dempsey also defended the new common school year after Mr David Stanton (Fine Gael) said it was creating difficulties for boarding schools. The Minister said it was remarkable how the common school year was now seen as his brainchild when it had been widely demanded for years.
