However, the system is being run on a relative shoe-string compared with many other top-performing countries.
Many schools are forced to fundraise and seek “voluntary contributions” to help make ends meet. Irish primary schools are saddled with some of the largest class sizes in the developed world. The gap in outcomes for pupils between poorer and affluent areas remains stark. The question of how to fund a third-level system that is set to grow dramatically over the coming years remains unresolved.
A skilled political operator who was previously Government chief whip, McHugh also has a habit of making a timely mid-conference announcement to help ease at least one of his audience’s key concerns.There are some, however, who wonder whether performing the role of the “teachers’ friend” is what the system really needs.
“It would limit the freedom for schools to meet the needs of pupils. If it’s made compulsory, geography will be next, and who knows what else. Suddenly, schools will have no flexibility.”In a recent row involving Catholic schools being accused of spreading “scare stories” over the loss of patronage, McHugh was strongly critical of school authorities for issuing “misinformation”.
“In those cases, his personal contact in the heat of the moment . . . really made a difference,” says a source close to McHugh.