As we come to the end of another school and university term and the Northern Ireland Executive enters into its summer recess, I can’t help thinking about the many similarities there are between our education system and the Assembly.For one there’s the holiday’s, although constituency surgeries for our MLA’s continue.  There is a Principal, of sorts, which in the case of the Assembly  is two for the price of one, there is schoolyard tomfoolery every so often and most evidently they  are all places where there is continuous education, representing a steep learning curve for many.

Although similar in outlook, arguably never before has the future direction of one been so dependent upon the actions and decisions of the other.  We are at a cross roads within our primary, secondary and tertiary level education. University fees are just one of a number of thorny issues that must be addressed but it is arguably the most pressing.  Whilst there is more than one poisoned chalice round the Executive table, the fact that Education and Learning was the last portfolio sitting on the Executive shelf speaks volumes.   Stephen Farry is now in the unenviable position of trying to find a solution to the massive hole in his budget without obliterating university faculties or forcing talented young people to reject a university education due to affordability. 

We have all witnessed the fall in popularity of Nick Clegg on his turnaround on university fees.  The public in GB have been unforgiving, as they saw him as running with the hare and then ultimately hunting with the hound on this issue. Our Assembly has been slow to get off the ground during this last, albeit short term.  No time to publish the programme for government, it appears, let alone get momentum behind it.  Also, the announcement on university fees had originally been set for mid July, we know now that it will be September before the Minister’s proposals will be announced.

This is extremely tight timing for students and families who have to make life choices and consider financial implications but also for universities who have deadlines to make on the marketing of their prospectuses in time for students completing UCAS forms.  I as a parent of five children am acutely aware of the stress this issue can cause both children and their families.

The options appear straightforward, none very palatable with potentially complex and long-lasting consequences. Either the Executive becomes creative and goes back on its pledge and finds additional funding, or we commit many talented young people from working and middle class backgrounds into having to making decisions they don’t want nor should have to make ; or we do serious damage to our Higher Education sector.Our Universities have, to date, made £28m worth of savings; a further cut of £20m could take out two faculties.  QUB have been quoted as stating that the whole of the arts, humanities and social sciences or engineering and physical sciences could go.  Not exactly what we need with the potential of devolved corporation tax and the requirement to develop a more knowledge based economy.

Many employers within Northern Ireland have expressed their concern over the lack of skills within our workforce.  For an economy looking to enter a period of transition with a redeployment of resources towards the private sector, we must not only maintain our academic options but our qualified and talented graduates who can become the catalyst for our future economic prosperity.  We know that devolution of corporation tax powers is not a panacea but with the right support structures in place to support inward investment, it can reap real rewards.Whilst companies will consider the rate of corporation tax when deciding where to invest, they will also consider the knowledge base of the economy - the education system, the links between universities and business and the skills base of its graduates.

Both the Economic Advisory Group and DETI Minister Arlene Foster believe that with other policies in place the introduction of corporation tax setting powers could create an additional 58,000 jobs by 2030.  An ambitious target yes, but with the right support policies in place it is achievable. One of these key policies must be that we maintain our excellence in education and produce the type of graduates that global companies are looking for.But the Executive whether we like it or not is between a rock and a hard place and society as a whole must face up to this issue and the two main beneficiaries, the Universities and the private sector must support and make sacrifices.  The Universities must look to further cut inefficiencies, make their funding departments work harder as well as creating more opportunities where they can work with private business to attract inward investment.  We also need to maximise social philanthropy by working with and encouraging the private sector to support the education system which feeds them.

For their part the Executive needs to consider if free prescriptions for all and commitment to withhold water rates when there is a recognition that they must eventually be introduced is a better distribution of our wealth than ensuring funding to our Universities and affordability for our students. If we put our students in a position where they are leaving and choosing their university place based on cost as opposed to academic criteria, we will have failed them, our education system and the potential for future economic prosperity. Recent indications suggest that the Executive will collectively oppose an increase in fees for our students which is good news but doesn’t make Mr Farry’s decisions any easier.  Tough choices but then again this is real government, real issues and real life which brings me back to that steep learning curve that our elected representatives have in common with our students – let’s hope for all our sakes that they are just as successful.