Managerialism and human rights in a post-conflict society: challenges for educational leaders in Northern Ireland

ABSTRACT

International human rights instruments provide a legal basis for an agreed set of human values globally. These ‘values’ are expected to underpin the purposes and content of education. This paper aims to explore how compliance with human rights instruments and values is balanced by educational leaders in Northern Ireland where diverse interpretations of human rights are held by the main communities and managerialist principles guide education policy making. The paper argues that whilst there is a political and policy commitment to protecting human rights in education as a means of addressing the causes of conflict, this commitment is constantly threatened by interpretations of rights in the local context and a polity underpinned by managerialist principles. It is argued that managerialist concerns around budgetary constraint and academic performance frame the work of educational leaders, yet it is in retrieving the human values which underpin rights, that the potential for educational leaders to transform society through education might be best realised.

KEYWORDS:

• Human rights
• managerialism
• educational leadership

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Art 6 of the Education and Libraries (NI) Order, 1986 (1986 Order).

2 Eight political members who were nominated by political parties according to the D’Hondt mechanism; 4 members representative of the interests of the Transferors (the 3 main Protestant churches) of Controlled schools; 4 members representative of the interests of the Trustees of Catholic Maintained schools;1 member representative of the interests of Integrated schools;1 member representative of the interests of Irish medium schools;1 member representative of the interests of Voluntary Grammar schools; and 1 member representative of the interests of Controlled Grammar schools.

3 Article 64 of the Education Reform (NI) Order 1989.

4 Article 89 of the Education (NI) Order 1998.

5 Council Directive 2000/78/EC Article 15.

6 Education (NI) Order 1993, article 28.