Catriona Ruane and the 11+ Debacle

It's been a while since I've had the chance to post again, University exams and whatnot looming ever closer have taken their toll, but nothing annoys me more nor incites me to divulge my opinions these days (wanted or not) than this fiasco.

Catriona Ruane seems to know absoloutely nothing about education. Her idealised notion of fairness and equality for all translating into a comprehensive type system of education seems, to me anyway, absolutely laughable!

It's absolutely bemusing. The party that hinges its entire raison d'etre on being a united Ireland/ anti British party is pushing to remove the academic selection that makes the Irish contingent of the UK stand above the rest, and instead go for the system in operation in England! (Which by the way the English themselves have stated does not work, and are moving away from)

I'd love to know the reason behind the idea that academic selection and the grammar school system discriminates against people from working class backgrounds. Coming from a working class family myself, in what has been noted as one of the worst areas in the UK, I achieved a place in a grammar school based solely on my academic level. Now at university, I think that I for one can stand up as an example whereby Sinn Fein's crazy position simply doesn't hold.

I'm gald to see that a lot of Sinn Fein voters are now begining to criticise this as well, as mentioned in yesterday's Belfast Telegraph, and a number of Catholic/Nationalist teachers have spoken out against this strongly as well.

Sure the 11+ isn't perfect. But to remove it completely...that to me is sheer lunacy.