Department of Education (Northern Ireland) facts for kids
| Irish: An Roinn Oideachais; Ulster-Scots: Männystrie o Lear |
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| Department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | June 1921 (as Ministry of Education) |
| Preceding Department | |
| Jurisdiction | Northern Ireland |
| Headquarters | Rathgael House, Balloo Road, Bangor, County Down, BT19 7PR |
| Employees | 609 (September 2011) |
| Annual budget | £1,894.6 million (current) & £114.7 million (capital) for 2011–12 |
| Minister responsible | |
| Department executive |
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| Website | www.education-ni.gov.uk |
The Department of Education (often called DENI) is a government department in Northern Ireland. It's part of the Northern Ireland Executive, which is like the government of Northern Ireland. This department is in charge of education for young people. A special minister, called the Minister of Education, leads the department.
Contents
What Does the Department of Education Do?
The main goal of the Department of Education is to help every student reach their full potential. They want to make sure everyone learns and grows.
Key Goals for Education
The department has several important goals:
- Raising Standards: They work to improve the quality of education for all students.
- Closing the Gap: They try to help students who might be falling behind. This ensures everyone has a fair chance to succeed.
- More Access and Fairness: They want to make sure all students can get a good education. This includes making sure it's fair for everyone.
- Supporting Teachers: They help teachers and other school staff get better at their jobs.
- Better Learning Places: They work to improve school buildings and classrooms. This makes them better places to learn.
- Modernizing Management: They aim to make how schools are run more efficient.
Areas of Responsibility
The department is responsible for different levels of schooling:
- Pre-school: Education for very young children before primary school.
- Primary School: Education for children usually aged 4 to 11.
- Post-primary School: Education for students usually aged 11 to 18. This includes secondary schools.
- Special Education: Support and education for students with special needs.
Until 2016, another department handled further education (like colleges) and higher education (like universities). Now, the Department for the Economy looks after these areas.
The Department of Education also deals with:
- Youth Policy: Plans and support for young people outside of school.
- Community Relations: Helping schools and students from different backgrounds get along.
- Teacher Training and Pay: Making sure teachers are well-trained and paid fairly.
The department also advises the Minister on education policies. They create new laws about education. They also manage the money for schools and check how well the education system is working.
An important part of their work is the Education and Training Inspectorate. This group checks and reports on how good the teaching and learning are in schools.
Who Helps Run Education?
The day-to-day running of schools is handled by one main group:
- Education Authority: This group gets money from the Department of Education. They help manage schools across Northern Ireland.
The Department of Education in Northern Ireland works with similar departments in other places. Its main partner in the United Kingdom Government is the Department for Education. In the Irish Government, it works with the Department of Education.
A Brief History of Education in Northern Ireland
The first education ministry in Northern Ireland started in June 1921. It was called the Ministry of Education. Later, it was renamed the Department of Education. This happened during a time called direct rule in March 1972. Direct rule means the UK government in London directly governed Northern Ireland.
There was a brief period in 1974 when Northern Ireland had its own government again. An education ministry was part of that government too. During direct rule, the department had more responsibilities. It even looked after culture, sports, and higher education. These areas are now handled by other departments.
Changes After the Belfast Agreement
In 1998, people in Northern Ireland voted on the Belfast Agreement. This agreement led to the creation of the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Northern Ireland Executive. These bodies meant Northern Ireland could govern itself more. This process is called devolution.
So, the Department of Education continued to exist after devolution began in December 1999. However, its responsibilities were now focused only on schools and youth policy.
Periods of Suspension
Devolution was paused several times. During these times, the UK government took back direct control. This meant ministers from the Northern Ireland Office were in charge of the Department of Education. These suspensions happened:
- From February to May 2000.
- Briefly in August and September 2001.
- From October 2002 to May 2007.
Since May 2007, Northern Ireland's own government has been in charge without interruption. In 2012, there were plans to change how some education responsibilities were shared. However, the Department for Employment and Learning, which was supposed to be split up, remained in operation for a while.
From 1999 to 2016, the Minister of Education was always from the Sinn Féin political party. Then, in May 2016, Peter Weir from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) became the first non-Sinn Féin minister to lead the department.
In 2020, the department created a special group called the Exceptional Circumstances Body. This group helps parents whose children need to attend a specific post-primary school for very special reasons.
Ministers of Education
The table below shows the people who have been the Minister of Education in Northern Ireland. A minister is a senior member of the government. They are in charge of a specific department.
| Minister | Image | Party | Took office | Left office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin McGuinness | .jpg) |
Sinn Féin | 29 November 1999 | 11 February 2000 | |
| Office suspended | |||||
| Martin McGuinness | |
Sinn Féin | 30 May 2000 | 14 October 2002 | |
| 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 | |
Ministers During Direct Rule
When Northern Ireland's government was suspended, ministers from the Northern Ireland Office in the UK government took over the Department of Education. These included:
- George Howarth (2000)
- Jane Kennedy (2002–04)
- Barry Gardiner (2002–04)
- Angela Smith (2005–06)
- Maria Eagle (2006–07)
