Could do
better?
Andy Brown addresses the importance of the church’s role in our education system.
A
s each new academic year begins, it is normal to take time to reflect on the past and look to the future. Leaders consider results, statistics, policies, staffing and curriculum, with an eye to the continuous improvement of their institutions. Teachers reflect on their practice and how to keep doing it better to meet the needs of their pupils. Students have that excitement of leaving the last year behind, with all the possibilities that a new year can bring. Parents say goodbye to a summer of entertaining their children… and perhaps give a slight sigh of relief ! With all that education has gone through over the last couple of years, there is an increased excitement at what
40
Herald Autumn 2021
2021/22 might bring. However, there is also the now-familiar trepidation as we have realised the delicacy of many of the ‘certainties’ which we took for granted in schools – face-to-face classes, social interaction and extra-curricular activities. As we enter into this particular academic year, there has never been a more important time to reflect on the past and future, and on our own
We need to consider the equity and social justice of our system and, if we see failings, to be the first to speak up…
‘certainties’ as they relate to our work in education. In March, when the former Education Minister, Peter Weir, announced an Independent Review of Education, there was a range of reactions within Northern Ireland’s (NI) tight-knit educational community. Given its remit to consider the educational journey of our pupils, how schools are supported and governed, and how the education system is designed and administrated, anyone and everyone with an interest and involvement in schooling began the process of reflecting on how things are done and considering how to do them better. The final part of the remit will consider a vision for an education system fit for the 21st century, and a vision really
