Top of the League, Mary

I have been quite belittling of Mary Hanafin recently, and I don't think I have been too out of order. However, on the issue of School League tables, one might argue that she has proven herself a worthy enough Minister for Education. In response to Damien Kiberd's criticism of the proposed scheme - the parameters were limited, limp, insipid and anodyne - and Olywn Enrights nonsensical rumblings about how Fine Gael would have the same scheme, only better - enough already! - Hanafin sold her scheme quite well. It would take the emphasis away from the narrow parameter of Leaving Cert results and would grade schools more on the grounds of facilities, accessibility, extra-curricular achievements etc. While these indicators of the quality of a school have in-built snob-value-systems too, it is difficult to argue that this new, expanded scheme is no improvement on the old system.

Kiberd, however, did make a very good point. If school league tables were extended to assess the improvement of a student from 1st to 6th year, we would then be making progress. On the other hand, his suggestion was characteristically vague and would, no doubt be extremely difficult to implement.

It is interesting to note that almost the entire Questions and Answers audience disagreed with school league tables alone. This near-universal unanimity was broken only by the tiring catch-caws of the odd sniping parent, wondering 'how he could know what was best for his child'. This is the type of guttersnipe that has his eight year old daughter enrolled in Yoga through French without ever wondering how to nourish a love of enlightenment within her that might last a lifetime, and worries about cultural change robbing his offspring of their childhood without ever making the profound realisation that he might be doing it himself all on his own.

The debate raised the interesting and important issue of the media setting the public agenda. Bowman stated explicitly, regardless of the implications for parents, children and teachers, that "You can't stop the media publishing school league tables". In fairness, we can't really expect John to care, especially as his own sprogs were schooled in Sandford Park, one of Dublin's premier private schools. He was reprimanded by a former ASTI General Secretary - herself critical of this drive for information which, she alleged, was being fuelled by a very small band of middle-class parents - when he said "Education Correspondents will tell you nothing exercises parents more than school league tables," to which she tellingly replied "No, John, nothing exercises education correspondents more than school league tables!" This, if nothing else, suggests that the newspaper men need watching in this area. Next September, when the latest batch of feeder schools are announced, check the education pages for analysis of funding and our low OECD rating....

Britain is now getting rid of school league tables on account of the MASSIVE damage they have inflicted upon an already-beinighted education system. We ourselves are about to embark on even more comprehensive grading of our schools than is already in place.

We made the same mistake with Ballymun.