Department of Education (Northern Ireland)

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Department of Education
Irish: An Roinn Oideachais;
Ulster-Scots: Männystrie o Lear
Department overview
Formed June 1921 (as Ministry of Education)
Preceding Department
Jurisdiction Northern Ireland
Headquarters Rathgael House, Balloo Road, Bangor, Co. Down, BT19 7PR
Employees 609 (September 2011)[1]
Annual budget £1,894.6 million (current) & £114.7 million (capital) for 2011–12[2]
Minister responsible
Website www.deni.gov.uk

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The Department of Education (DENI) (Irish: An Roinn Oideachais; Ulster-Scots: Männystrie o Lear)[3] is a devolved Northern Irish government department in the Northern Ireland Executive. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister of Education.

Aim

The department's overall vision is "to ensure that every learner fulfils her or his potential at each stage of development". Its key stated priorities are: raising Standards for all; closing the performance gap, increasing access and equality; developing the education workforce; improving the "learning environment"; and transforming education management.[4]

The incumbent Minister is John O'Dowd (Sinn Féin).[5]

Responsibilities

The department is responsible for the following levels of education:[6]

  • pre-school
  • primary
  • post-primary
  • special

The Department for Employment and Learning is responsible for further and higher education policy in Northern Ireland.[7]

The Department of Education also covers:

  • youth policy
  • community relations within and between schools
  • teacher education and salaries

As an organisation, its key functions include advising the minister on the determination of education policy, framing legislation, accounting for the effectiveness of the education system, allocating, and monitoring and accounting for resources.

Through the Education and Training Inspectorate, it evaluates and reports on the quality of teaching and learning and teacher education.

Administration of the education system is delegated to five sub-regional education and library boards, funded by the department:

Its main counterpart in the United Kingdom Government is the Department for Education.[8] The main counterpart in the Irish Government is the Department of Education and Skills.[9]

History

A Ministry of Education was established at the foundation of Northern Ireland in June 1921 and was subsequently renamed the Department of Education under direct rule, introduced in March 1972. An education ministry was also included in the Northern Ireland Executive briefly formed in 1974.

The department's remit under direct rule was much wider, incorporating cultural and sport policy (now held by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure) and further and higher education (now held by the Department for Employment and Learning).

Following a referendum on the Belfast Agreement on 23 May 1998 and the granting of royal assent to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 on 19 November 1998, a Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive were established by the United Kingdom Government under Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Department of Education (with its reduced remit) was therefore one of the six direct rule Northern Ireland departments that continued in existence after devolution, following the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999.

A devolved minister took office on 2 December 1999. Devolution was suspended for four periods, during which the department came under the responsibility of direct rule ministers from the Northern Ireland Office:

Since 8 May 2007, devolution has operated without interruption. On 11 January 2012, the First Minister and deputy First Minister, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness respectively, announced their intention to abolish the Department for Employment and Learning.[18] Its functions would be "divided principally" between the Department of Education and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment "in an agreed manner". The proposal was resisted by the Alliance Party,[19] which viewed it as "power grab" by the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, but was approved on 18 January 2012.[20] No timescale for the abolition was outlined and the department remained in operation, as of late March 2012.

Ministers of education

Minister Image Party Took office Left office
    Martin McGuinness Martin McGuinness MLA.jpg Sinn Féin 2 December 1999 11 February 2000
Office suspended
    Martin McGuinness Martin McGuinness MLA.jpg Sinn Féin 30 May 2000 14 October 2002[21]
Office suspended
    Caitríona Ruane 60px Sinn Féin 8 May 2007 5 May 2011
    John O'Dowd John O'Dowd.jpg Sinn Féin 16 May 2011 Incumbent

Direct rule ministers

During the periods of suspension, the following ministers of the Northern Ireland Office were responsible for the department:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Depairtment o Leir is also used by the North/South Ministerial Council.
  4. ↑ Northern Ireland Budget 2011–15, page 48
  5. ↑ http://www.northernireland.gov.uk/index/work-of-the-executive/ministers-and-their-departments.htm Northern Ireland Executive
  6. ↑ About the Department of Education
  7. ↑ DEL: About the Department
  8. ↑ Department for Education: About the Department
  9. ↑ Department of Education and Skills: Functions
  10. ↑ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Commencement) Order 2000
  11. ↑ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2000
  12. ↑ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2001
  13. ↑ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2001
  14. ↑ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
  15. ↑ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
  16. ↑ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2002
  17. ↑ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2007
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Office suspended for 24 hours on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001

External links

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