The new Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin is unlikely to be as controversial as her predecessor. There will be a new focus on bridge-building and consensus

Mary Hanafin arrived in the Department of Education last Thursday morning on her first full day as Minister. Within the Department, her arrival has led to a discernable change in mood after the bruising and controversial Dempsey era. One source said it was like being in Florida a couple of days after the latest hurricane has whipped by. Things are now much quieter and more tranquil.

In truth, there is much clearing up to be done after Dempsey. Senior officials in the Department greatly admired his passion for education, his work rate, his vision and his political courage. But they also know that he burned a lot of bridges as he crossed them. There are a great many fences to be mended.

The third-level sector fell out of love with Dempsey when he imposed a freeze on research funding (later rescinded) and then imposed an effective 10 per cent cut in day-to-day funding.

At second-level, teachers will forever associate Dempsey with the pre-Christmas "swoop" on schools to check if they were in attendance. Primary teachers were unhappy with the lack of consultation about proposed standardised testing for seven and 11-year-olds.

To some degree, Dempsey relished his role as somewhat of an enfant terrible in education. But Hanafin will have to be more careful. There will be no kite-flying and few of the "solo-runs" with which Dempsey became associated in the public mind. Instead, there is expected to be a more consensual, co-operative approach.

Education sources expect Mary Hanafin, a former teacher at Sion Hill in Blackrock, Co Dublin, to become a kind of "cheerleader" for the teaching profession.

One said: "The 40,000 teachers are a very important constituency. I think we will see a return to the Micheál Martin era when the Minister can be liked by teachers - and can be effective for everyone else. That is what Bertie wants."

So what is likely to happen in each sector?

Third Level

Mary Hanafin has a ready-made blueprint for change in the 80-page OECD report, just published. Noel Dempsey tended to see the universities as bastions of privilege. Mary Hanafin is likely to change tack. Taking her cue from the report, she will identify the third-level sector as the engine of our future economic growth. Funding for the key area of scientific research will receive the detailed political attention it requires. Expect a close partnership on the research agenda between the new minister and Micheál Martin in Enterprise, Trade and Employment, who controls the funds for Science Foundation Ireland.

Hanafin may move quickly to bring forward the structural reforms proposed by the OECD. This will see the establishment of a new executive agency to take control of third level.

One awkward issue - the OECD says third-level needs a "quantum leap" in funding in order to compete globally. Without it, they warn, the Republic will remain in mid-table. But who is going to provide these much-needed extra funds? The OECD says the Exchequer has too many other competing demands. The Government says fees are off the agenda. So, will there be any real change?

Second Level

A plethora of expert reports and studies have recommended the replacement of the Junior and the Leaving Cert exams. Both exams, we are told, are old hat, measure only a narrow range of intelligence and place undue pressure on students.

Trouble is the parents of Ireland and employers value the exams while teachers are wary about any alternative that would see them assess their own students. Hanafin could make a name for herself as the Minister responsible for radical change. But could this realistically be done in two years. And would the public thank her in any case?

On school league tables, Noel Dempsey said the current ban creates an "information vacuum", but any amendment would incur the wrath of the teaching unions and most educationalists.

The new Minister could make real progress on the industrial relations front. After its bitter dispute, most ASTI members want a quieter life. There are opportunities here to bring ASTI back in from the cold, perhaps by promoting closer links with the other unions.

A less confrontational style from the Minister would create the right mood music for ASTI's return to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, which it left during the dispute.

Primary Level

Despite improved funding, the issue of dilapidated primary schools is still a potential landmine. As one source said: "If the roof of a primary school falls in, the Minister's world can fall in with it."

The same is true of special-needs provision. Reports of any child denied access to a full education can be disastrous for a minister. The powerful INTO will be looking for much greater funds for special needs, disadvantaged schools and school running costs. Progress could be made as the Government moves to portray itself in a softer, more caring light.

Progress can also be achieved in relation to standardised tests at primary levels. The INTO was furious about the lack of consultation on the issue, but it is not opposed to assessment per se. Expect some form of compromise.