Debate contribution: Cross-border Education

Debate contribution by Mrs Michelle Guy on 2 March 2026.

MLA

Mrs Michelle Guy

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

2 March 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Cross-border Education

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5433362

Read the official Assembly record

Text

On this island, North and South, and, indeed, across these islands, there are outstanding educational opportunities available to our young people. Matching the interests and ambitions of our students with the full range of pathways open to them should be one of the simpler challenges for us to resolve in this place. The last time that I spoke on an economy motion, I said that my first motivation for entering politics was to make home a place that my children do not have to leave to be successful. For me, the motion aligns directly with that objective. Coincidentally, this week, I will attend an A-levels option event with my daughter at her school. Foremost in the decision-making is the entry requirements for her preferred university course. Over the weekend, we were chatting about that, and I mentioned the Education Minister's recent consultation on qualification reforms, particularly the fact that 77% of respondents oppose the removal of AS levels.

Her immediate response was, "Well, of course you can't remove AS levels; sure that would impact on getting into a university in the South". She went on to explain the rationale for that in really impressive detail, so much so that I offered her the chance to write this speech for me. My initial encouragement that she had obtained that information as part of her careers guidance in school was short-lived, though: she obtained it through her own enquiries at an event that she attended recently. That short exchange between a mum and a daughter highlights two key issues. The first is that if the Minister proceeds with removing AS levels, we unintentionally risk narrowing pathways for students who wish to apply to universities in the South. We know that positive work was done following the Universities Ireland report to improve equivalence between A levels and the Leaving Certificate, but removing AS levels would complicate that picture and potentially create new barriers. Secondly, it highlights an information gap. Our schools are familiar with the UCAS system, which is embedded and well understood and supported. The CAO system operates differently. When making decisions, students need to be clear that the CAO is a post-qualification admissions system that does not make conditional offers in the same way as UCAS. Ensuring that schools and careers advisers have clear, accurate guidance is not an insurmountable challenge. Modest resource investment is required to deliver that, and the outcome would ensure that every student in Northern Ireland is fully aware of, and supported in accessing, opportunities across the island. A careers action plan is in place, and it seems entirely reasonable that structured CAO awareness and guidance would form part of that work. The practical challenges — the differences between post-qualification and pre-qualification admission models; the risks that students feel in waiting for CAO offers; and the ongoing issue of language requirements on some courses — have already been referenced. Those are real barriers, which deserve continued engagement. However, while we often focus on how to retain students close to home, we should also recognise the value of outward mobility. Studying in Dublin, Cork, Galway, London or Edinburgh can help students to build networks that create opportunities for employment or broaden horizons and experience that can add value for local employers in Northern Ireland. Encouraging our young people to move away from home to study is positive, but we must create the conditions that attract them back and, equally, attract others here. At its heart, the motion is simple. It is about ensuring that no young person's ambition is limited by administrative misalignment, a lack of awareness or unnecessary barriers. Our job is to expand opportunity, not to restrict it. I hope that that is something that we can all support today.

624 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:00 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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