News
Message from Gavin Boyd, Chief Executive (Designate) - July 20th 2007
The Minister for Education, Caitríona Ruane, made a landmark statement on 19 July in which she set out her plans for progressing the change for the Review of Public Administration (RPA) in education. In particular, she highlighted 3 points:
- Firstly, it is her firm belief that the RPA will bring great benefits to education and she is determined to progress this reform as quickly as possible;
- Secondly, the Executive has agreed that the Minister should progress her proposal to establish the Education and Skills Authority (ESA) and have it operational by 1 April 2009 at the latest; and
- Thirdly, in advance of legislation, the Minister has asked me to develop and lead a convergence programme which will bring together services delivered by the current education organisations.
The Minister has clearly stated her belief that the RPA will lead to better educational outcomes for all pupils and the release of more resources from back office functions to front-line services through the streamlining of administration.
Given the size and complexity of the RPA programme, the Minister has agreed with the Executive to progress the establishment of ESA by 1 April 2009 at the latest. Work will be taken forward to transfer the functions, staff, assets and liabilities of the existing organisations to ESA at that time.
Further work will focus on area based planning, the structure of Boards of Governors and extending the employing authority role of ESA to all schools.
There is a huge amount of work to be undertaken to meet this timescale and the Minister has made it clear that she expects change to start now. She will be taking a strong personal lead in this work and will be chairing regular meetings with the Chairs of all the education bodies. The Minister has asked me, working with Will Haire and other colleagues in the Department of Education, to develop and lead a convergence programme in preparation for the establishment of ESA. This will be the key focus of all our work and will help to ensure a smooth transition to the new organisation.
This marks a new phase in RPA implementation and the Minister's statement provides clear direction on how she wants us all to move forward. Her emphasis is on the need for us all, throughout the education sector, to work closely together to make all the necessary preparations to ensure that service standards are maintained and that staff have clarity about their futures.
I look forward to working with you on this important task which we have all been set.
GAVIN BOYD
20th July 2007