THE proposed setting up of regional educational boards (REBs) was defended by the Minister for Education.

Introducing the Education Bill, Ms Breathnach said school structures were needed which would be more responsive to the needs of the regions. Many co-ordination and administrative functions must be devolved from Marlborough Street to the regions, where they belonged.

"The administrative models we have at the moment were designed for another age, when education was a modest-undertaking for the State. Quite simply, we need new arrangements to administer our education system in an open, transparent and accountable way.

Ms Breathnach quoted a 1991 OECD report, which described the Irish education system as "highly centralised".

The 10 REBs which would be set up under the Bill would be aware of the needs of regional communities. They would empower communities and ensure that educational needs would be co-ordinated more effectively.

Each board would be composed of an equal number of parents, teachers, patrons, local representatives, ministerial nominees and "the wider community. The funclions of the boards would include making available "an appropriate level and quality of education to people in the region promoting equality of access to education promoting the right of parents to send their children to a school of their choice promoting effective liaison between schools and centres of education and contributing to the achievement of national education policies.

The Bill, Ms Breathnach said, provided that the Minister would determine the criteria by which schools would be funded on an annual basis. Schools would be given grants in accordance with these criteria by the local board.

The patrons/owners of schools would retain a key role in their schools. "The most significant effect of the Bill in respect of patrons/owners is that, under its visions, the patrons will act to a greater degree than heretofore in partnership with parents, teachers and the community."

The Bill provided that aggrieved students or parents would be able to appeal against decisions about them by members of staff when the decision materially affected the education of the student.

The Bill built on extensive dialogue among all the partners in education. Publication of the Bill did not bring the dialogue to an end. "Where a reasonable case is put forward for amendment of the Bill which does not dilute its central principles I am prepared to consider that case objectively and, if necessary, bring forward proposals for amendments at committee stage," the Minister said.

The Fianna Fail spokesman on education, Mr Micheal Martin, said the Bill was fundamentally anti-democratic and would increase the power of the Minister. Control over expenditure would be retained by the Minister, who would also choose the entire core of the proposed REBs.

Fianna Fail opposed the establishment of the REBs "on the grounds that they will be too expensive, in the first instance, and, secondly, will be too remote from local education interests". Conservative estimates suggested they would cost up to £50 million a year.

"We in Fianna Fail pledge to abolish these boards on return to office. Fianna Fail believe that all available resources must be channelled through to classrooms and not wasted on expensive and undemocratic bureaucracies."

Control from the centre permeated every section of the Bill. Far from representing a radical devolution of authority from the top down it reinforced and strengthened ministerial control.

The Bill was anti-denominational. The school managers' associations had said it would impact more on denominational schools than on vocational and community schools. They believed the Minister was proposing to "exercise a degree of control not hitherto experienced". They also believed it would give the State a level of control over schools which was contrary to the Constitution.

Ms Helen Keogh, Progressive Democrats spokeswoman on education, described the Bill as "a bureaucratic and constitutional minefield".

While there were problems in the education system there was no great problem regarding its organisational structures. The establishment of regional boards should not be a priority at present. "If the Minister says there are limited funds available to cope with these very serious problems, how can she find the estimated £50 million a year which the REBS will cost to run?"

Teachers, and how they were to be paid, was the critical element in the management of the education system, accounting for 90 per cent of expenditure. What was the point in establishing the new boards if the Minister was going to run the show from Marlborough Street?

The Bill was concerned with bureaucratic structures and had little or nothing to say about the quality of education or how it could be improved.

The debate continues.