Hazel resumes talks with religious bodies

As a result, the meeting being sought by the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) with Prime Minister Patrick Manning has been put on hold pending the outcome of the discussions.

A joint statement from the parties yesterday revealed the first meeting took place last week between senior officials of the ministry and a 12-member team from the board, including president Clive Borely. The board had expressed concern about the ministry’s alleged intentions to take over the operations of its schools, and to replace the 1960 Concordat with Memorandums Of Understanding (MOU).

The ministry said a committee comprising representatives from both parties will be established.

That committee will focus on issues relating to the Concordat, the legal implications of the MOU governing the contributions and management of early childhood education centres and its impact on the Concordat. Other issues to be addressed will include the equity of funding, equity of staffing arrangements and the construction of schools for the denominational bodies.

The new procurement policies and the role of the Education Facilities Company Limited will also be examined.

At last week’s meeting, the board requested consideration of several issues. These included a Joint Committee of Management at pre-schools, that the chairperson of the committee be appointed by the denominational boards, that the school supervisor not be required to attend meetings of the committee, and consideration about whether the authority to appoint members of the committee should reside with the ministry.

The board also expressed concern about the performance of students in exams at the primary and secondary levels.

The ministry agreed to provide reports on the exams to the board.