Caitríona Ruane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Caitríona Ruane
|
|
|---|---|
Ruane in 2014
|
|
| Principal Deputy Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly | |
| In office 12 May 2016 – 19 October 2017 |
|
| Preceded by | Robin Newton |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Stalford |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 8 May 2007 – 5 May 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Martin McGuinness |
| Succeeded by | John O'Dowd |
| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for South Down |
|
| In office 26 November 2003 – 26 January 2017 |
|
| Preceded by | Mick Murphy |
| Succeeded by | Sinéad Ennis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 July 1962 Swinford, County Mayo, Republic of Ireland |
| Political party | Sinn Féin |
| Residences | Carlingford, County Louth, Ireland |
| Website | SF election page |
Caitríona Ruane, born in 1962, is an Irish politician. She was a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for the South Down area from 2003 to 2017. She also served as the Principal Deputy Speaker of the Assembly from 2016 to 2017.
One of her most important roles was as the Minister of Education from 2007 to 2011. In this job, she made big changes to how students moved from primary to secondary school. She belongs to the Sinn Féin political party.
Contents
About Caitríona Ruane
Before becoming a politician, Caitríona Ruane was a professional tennis player. She even played for Ireland in the Fed Cup, which is a major international tennis competition.
Today, she lives in Carlingford, County Louth, which is in Ireland. She is married and has two children. In the past, she also helped organize important community events in Belfast. These included the Féile an Phobail festival and the St Patrick's Carnival.
Her Work as Education Minister
As Minister of Education, Caitríona Ruane focused on changing the school system in Northern Ireland. A major part of her plan was to get rid of a special test called the "11-plus."
What was the 11-Plus Exam?
The 11-plus was an exam taken by students in Northern Ireland when they were around 10 or 11 years old. This test decided which secondary school they would go to. If students passed, they could go to a grammar school. If they didn't pass, they would go to a different type of secondary school.
Why was it Controversial?
Many people, including Caitríona Ruane, believed the 11-plus exam was unfair. They felt it put too much pressure on young children. They also thought it created an unfair system where some schools were seen as better than others based on this one test.
Caitríona Ruane wanted to stop using the 11-plus. She aimed to create a new system that would be fairer for all students. However, her plans faced strong opposition. Some political parties, like the Democratic Unionist Party and the Social Democratic and Labour Party, disagreed with her. Many grammar schools also did not want the test to be removed.
These schools even formed a group called the AQE (Association for Quality Education). This group offered their own test as a replacement for the 11-plus. Caitríona Ruane believed that all students should have the chance to learn the Irish language. She also wanted education in Northern Ireland to be more like the system in the Republic of Ireland. She stated that the discussion about the 11-plus was "over."
However, many parents and school leaders felt the debate was far from finished. They believed that academic selection, or choosing schools based on tests, was still important.
See also
- Caitriona
