Department of Education (Northern Ireland)

Coordinates: 54°38′24″N 5°40′34″W / 54.640°N 5.676°W / 54.640; -5.676
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Department of Education
Dublin Castle administration
JurisdictionNorthern Ireland
HeadquartersRathgael House, Balloo Road, Bangor, County Down, BT19 7PR
Employees609 (September 2011)[1]
Annual budget£1,894.6 million (current) & £114.7 million (capital) for 2011–12[2]
Minister responsible
Websitewww.education-ni.gov.uk

The Department of Education (DENI) (

devolved Northern Irish government department in the Northern Ireland Executive
. The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister of Education.

Aim

The department's overall vision is "to ensure that every learner fulfils her or his potential at each stage of development". Its key stated priorities are: raising Standards for all; closing the performance gap, increasing access and equality; developing the education workforce; improving the "learning environment"; and transforming education management.[4]

Responsibilities

The department is responsible for the following levels of education:[5]

  • pre-school
  • primary
  • post-primary
  • special

Until 2016 the former Department for Employment and Learning was responsible for further and higher education policy in Northern Ireland.[6] Further and higher education are now the responsibility of the Department for the Economy.

The Department of Education also covers:

  • youth policy
  • community relations within and between schools
  • teacher education and salaries

As an organisation, its key functions include advising the minister on the determination of education policy, framing legislation, accounting for the effectiveness of the education system, allocating, and monitoring and accounting for resources.

Through the Education and Training Inspectorate, it evaluates and reports on the quality of teaching and learning and teacher education.

Administration of the education system is delegated to a single combined authority, funded by the department:

Its main counterpart in the

Irish Government is the Department of Education.[8]

History

A

Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure) and further and higher education (now held by the Department for Employment and Learning
).

Following a

United Kingdom Government under Prime Minister Tony Blair. The Department of Education (with its reduced remit) was therefore one of the six direct rule Northern Ireland departments that continued in existence after devolution, following the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999
.

A devolved minister took office on 2 December 1999. Devolution was suspended for four periods, during which the department came under the responsibility of

:

Since 8 May 2007, devolution has operated without interruption. On 11 January 2012, the

First Minister and deputy First Minister, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness respectively, announced their intention to abolish the Department for Employment and Learning.[17]

Its functions would be "divided principally" between the Department of Education and the

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment "in an agreed manner". The proposal was resisted by the Alliance Party,[18] which viewed it as "power grab" by the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, but was approved on 18 January 2012.[19]
No timescale for the abolition was outlined and the department remained in operation, as of late March 2012.

From 2 December 1999 to 25 May 2016, the department was headed by

Peter Weir
became the first non-Sinn Féin politician to head the Northern Ireland Department of Education.

Ministers of education

Minister Image Party Took office Left office
    Martin McGuinness Sinn Féin 29 November 1999 11 February 2000
Office suspended
    Martin McGuinness Sinn Féin 30 May 2000 14 October 2002[20]
Office suspended
    Caitríona Ruane Sinn Féin 14 May 2007 4 May 2011
    John O'Dowd Sinn Féin 16 May 2011 30 March 2016
    Peter Weir DUP 25 May 2016 2 March 2017
Office suspended
    Peter Weir DUP 11 January 2020 13 June 2021
    Michelle McIlveen DUP 14 June 2021 27 October 2022
Office suspended
    Paul Givan DUP 3 February 2024 Incumbent

Direct rule ministers

During the periods of suspension, the following ministers of the Northern Ireland Office/Education Secretaries of the British Department for Education were responsible for the department:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Northern Ireland Quarterly Employment Survey Historical Data". Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment. Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  2. ^ "Budget 2011–15" (PDF). Department of Finance and Personnel. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 December 2011. Retrieved 28 December 2011.
  3. ^ Depairtment o Leir is also used by the North/South Ministerial Council.
  4. ^ Northern Ireland Budget 2011–15, page 48
  5. ^ About the Department of Education
  6. ^ DEL: About the Department Archived 19 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Department for Education: About the Department
  8. ^ Department of Education: Functions
  9. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Commencement) Order 2000
  10. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2000
  11. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2001
  12. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2001
  13. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
  14. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001
  15. ^ Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2002
  16. ^ Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2007
  17. ^ "Justice 2012 – Stormont Castle proposals". Northern Ireland Executive. 11 January 2012. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  18. ^ "Ford says cutting Department for Employment and Learning could damage economy". Alliance Party of Northern Ireland. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  19. ^ "Justice 2012 – The Way Forward". Northern Ireland Executive. 18 January 2012. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  20. ^ Office suspended for 24 hours on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001

External links

54°38′24″N 5°40′34″W / 54.640°N 5.676°W / 54.640; -5.676