Everything Ulster - Latest comments on Northern Ireland Should Keep Academic Selection

beano [Member] in response to: Northern Ireland Should Keep Academic Selection

beano [Member] — Fri, 29 Jul 2005 00:38:01 +0000

I'm not averse to some reform of academic selection and am very wary of sounding like someone demanding to hold on to the status quo for the sake of it.

I'm not sure that 11 is too young, although could probably be persuaded that anything up to 13 might be better if there was evidence or even a semi-well thought-out theory to back it up.

I'm also not saying the 11+ is the best way to do it. If there are studies to show other more successful or fairer methods then I'd be all for it. I just want to see the best schools we have maintained rather than lowered to the level of the worst as part of some sort of balancing act. What we clearly need is some way of bringing the lower-performing secondary schools up to scratch and more emphasis on vocational courses in these schools has been suggested and could be workable. I hear Germany has an excellent tri-partite system not totally dissimilar to the one that was supposed to be introduced in the UK after the 1944 Education Act. There's a decent looking web page on it here. which suggests "support for this system remains strong among teachers, students, and parents of differing educational and social class backgrounds."

PS [Visitor] in response to: Northern Ireland Should Keep Academic Selection

PS [Visitor] — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 23:56:53 +0000

The current system helps the brightest but shuns those who don't show the neccessary ability at the age of 10/11. Personally I benefitted greatly from the current system, but that doesn't mean I don't find it morally repugnant to brand a child of 11 as a failure. I agree that competition at an elder age can be helpful but I think that the entire educational system need a radical overhaul and that academic selection at aged 11 cannot and should not be justified.

paul connor [Visitor] in response to: Northern Ireland Should Keep Academic Selection

paul connor [Visitor] — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 11:05:43 +0000

Statistics clearly show selection leads to a higher calibre of academic - a group of people we can be proud to have produced so many of - why Marty McGuinness wants it scraped in Ulsters state (Protestant populated) schools should be obvious , Marties little national commrades will still be receiving a private , Catholic school (which in England rip the state schools appart- although they do have a few Corpus Christi (West Belfasts premier child brutalisatiion clinic) style stinkers) rigorous education this stranger in our community wants to deprive our kids of
(its conspiricy - but to suggest Marty isnt interested in the degrading of Ulster Folk is maddness, its a key factor in his own political goals, you cant herd sheep until you domesticate them)

beano [Member] in response to: Northern Ireland Should Keep Academic Selection

beano [Member] — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 21:33:33 +0000

And one who left school with no O-levels at that ... sad really that he ended up in the position he did, makes the whole idea of a meritocracy laughable.

stevey2005 [Member] in response to: Northern Ireland Should Keep Academic Selection

stevey2005 [Member] — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 17:00:58 +0000

Northern Ireland has and always did have a much better education system than mainland UK...

Sinn Fein/IRA's Martin McGuinness decision to do away with the 11+ was the biggest mistake ever made within education in NI.... what qualifications or experience would a member of a terrorist organisation have in making crucial decisions about the provience's education system???