The Northern Ireland Department of Education came under fire from a powerful Stormont Assembly committee today for reducing literacy and numeracy targets for primary schoolchildren.
The NI Public Accounts Committee said in a report that despite explanations from the department, it was concerned "the goalposts are simply being moved to conceal a failure to achieve the literacy and numeracy targets expected of schools by the community".
Commenting on the comparison with England and Wales the committee said "the department must recognise that it has lost credibility in the area of target setting in relation to literacy and numeracy which is worrying because such a substantial number of school children are failing to meet minimum accepted standards."
"This challenge must be met for the sake of our children and Northern Ireland's future."
Committee chairman Mr Billy Bell said: "We believe that the department needs to establish credible and realistic targets and to stick to them."
The report - Indicators of Educational Performance and Provision - said it "cannot be satisfactory" that the expectation for the educational achievement of school children in Northern Ireland should be lower than that for the rest of the United Kingdom.
PA