An insider’s guide to education

** The great and the good were out in force for the launch of the Hunt Report last week in the shiny (but otherwise deserted) National Convention Centre.

It was a surreal event.

The main man, Colin Hunt, a former advisor to Brian Cowen, spoke only briefly to the media while Brigid McManus, the secretary general of the department, had a leading role.

Some wags are already suggesting the Hunt Report should be renamed the “McManus Report”. Certainly, she was a key influence in the report’s main recommendations.

But isn’t that the job of a senior civil servant?

Members of the expert group speak warmly of Colin Hunt, but few appear wholly enthusiastic about the end result of their collective endeavours.

In truth, the whole process was marked by delays and disputes. At one stage last summer, the entire report had to be redrafted with some members complaining it was simply not good enough.

To be fair, the final report is good in several respects. It’s just that it lacks the fresh ideas one might expect from a 20-year strategy. To make matters worse, the tone is deferential and defensive – so the report lacks the authority one might expect.

At the launch, even as Minister for Education Mary Coughlan was extolling its virtues, various senior figures were grumbling (off the record of course) about the report’s deficiencies.

It was a surprise, then, to see the effusive response to the report from the Irish University Association, the group which represents the seven university presidents. Maybe that was a tactical move!

Colin Hunt, meanwhile, is set to leave the education arena. He is apparently not interested in the chair of the Higher Education Authority which remains vacant.

** So who were the winners in the Hunt process?

Tom Boland, chief executive of the Higher Education Authority (HEA) was chuckling away at the launch. And why not?

A year ago, the HEA’s very future was in doubt after the McCarthy (Bord Snip Nua) Report pushed for its abolition. Now, Hunt wants a beefed up HEA to drive the sector forward.

Latest score: HEA 1 – McCarthy 0

Other winners?

Gary Redmond of the Union of Students in Ireland was an outstanding advocate for his members.

And take a bow DCU president Brian McCraith who had the courage to come out and criticise the report while others were silent.

** Who gained the highest media profile during coverage of the Hunt Report?

Step forward Labour’s Ruairí Quinn who attended the launch and issued, by some distance, the most searching analysis of the report.

His high profile – and knowledge of the education brief – marks him out as a potentially outstanding Minister for Education.

But is Quinn, a former chair of ECOFIN (EU Council of Finance Ministers) willing to take the post?

Or is it reserved for a Fine Gael minister?

** Not surprisingly, tempers are a little frayed down at the National College of Ireland (NCI) in the IFSC where college boss, Philip Matthews has moved to close the School of Community Studies, making 10 staff redundant. Matthews, the former Irish rugby captain, says the move is necessary to cut costs.

Critics argue that the whole social justice agenda is NCI’s unique selling point. The move appears a questionable one for a college steeped in the Jesuit tradition.

Got any education gossip? E-mail in confidence to teacherspet@irishtimes.com