Parents are being denied important information about the work of their local school by the Department of Education, the National Parents' Council (Primary) conference heard. Its chief executive, Ms Fionnuala Kilfeather, said resistance to giving information about schools sent "some very strange messages to the public".
She said the Department had failed to put in place even one "mechanism, report or process" for giving information on the education system to the public or parents. Resistance also came from teacher unions.
She said the last minister for education, Mr Martin, said school league tables were crude instruments and reports compiled under the new inspection system - Whole School Evaluation (WSE) - would be better.
In that context, she hoped a recent decision by the Information Commissioner, Mr Kevin Murphy, that WSE reports be made available would be welcomed by the current Minister, Dr Woods.
With almost two-thirds of the population directly affected by the education service either as students or parents, it was vital to know what was going on. "We need to know how well our local school is serving the community. We need to know how well the educational system as a whole is serving the community.
"Students and parents should be seen as allies and partners in the task of developing the strengths, and addressing any weaknesses, in the education offered in any one school."