The North’s education minister John O’Dowd said there is a pressing need to examine whether the existing system remains the best for school children. But he does not want to make change for change’s sake, having only in March ruled out following England in overhauling GCSEs.
Recent moves towards a new system of English Baccalaureate Certificates by UK education secretary Michael Gove, however, appear to have forced his hand.
Mr O’Dowd said his counterpart’s actions “may well have fatally flawed the GCSE brand”. Decisions taken in England, he added, have generated speculation about whether the North will follow suit.
The last 12 to 18 months, he said, have seen unprecedented levels of change and uncertainty in the qualifications system.
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