Overend demands leadership from Education chief

Mid Ulster MLA Sandra Overend says she wants the Education Minister to take the lead on the isse of the transfer test here.

The Ulster Unionist assemblywoman made the call after quizzing the DUP's Peter Weir at a Stormont committee this week.

"The Deputy First Minister, in his final act as Education Minister back in 2002, abolished the Eleven Plus which led to the position where we are today with two independent tests, set in the private sector, to enable post-primary transfer to grammar schools and a state of limbo for teachers, parents and pupils," she said.

"Whilst the Ulster Unionist Party welcomed the recent announcement from the DUP Minister that schools will no longer be targeted for preparing pupils for these transfer tests, we would call for the Minister to take leadership and seek political agreement on the issue of post-primary transfer and selection," she added.

She says it would be preferable if the Department of Education took back control of administering post-primary transfer exams.

"As a start I suggest that it would be preferable for the transfer system to be brought within the Department’s responsibility and ultimately to work to find a better way of transferring children to post-primary schools," she continued.

Sandra Overend said she was "astounded" by Peter Weirs ambivalence towards "seeking agreement" on the issue. She's now resolutely demanding he do all he can to assure parents on the issue and resolve it, once and for all.

"I was astounded that the Minister stated that he did not want to ‘waste time’ seeking agreement on the issue. I certainly don’t believe that time spent trying to resolve this issue once and for all would ever be a waste of time. The level of debate on this issue indicates that it is very much in the public interest to resolve it," she said.