The Ulster Unionist Party’s Education spokesperson Danny Kinahan has welcomed today’s announcement by the Education Minister that he is to scrap compulsory computer assessments in Primary Schools.
Mr Kinahan, who is also the deputy chair of the Assembly’s Education Committee, commented:
“Very quickly after the introduction of new computer based assessments last autumn, it became clear the whole system was facing a number of fundamental flaws. There were a wide range of technical difficulties which caused a great deal of distress for the teachers and pupils in the 180 schools affected.
It is deeply regrettable however that once schools began to identify these problems, the Minister refused to accept that there were serious failings within the process. In fact John O’Dowd dismissed them.
I cannot help but feel that if the Department had taken its time and carried out a thorough pilot scheme, taking account of the problems which emerged, then the situation would not have been so serious. This is a lesson which must be learned by the Department and the Minister and they must get pilot schemes right in the future.
I still believe computer assessments could play a valuable role, it is just unfortunate that it took so much time and money for the Minister to accept the programme he was using was completely inadequate. It is important that testing takes place in a manner that provides parents and staff with accurate and reliable information and clearly the systems in place last October failed on both counts.”