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FOCUS SERIES: "Irresponsible behaviour" from those who "oppose the model"

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Wednesday 20 September 2023

FOCUS SERIES: "Irresponsible behaviour" from those who "oppose the model"

Wednesday 20 September 2023


With the future of education in Guernsey once again on the line, it’s incumbent upon the politicians debating it that they don’t mislead the public, according to the President of Education.

The Committee for Education, Sport and Culture and Guernsey's Education Department are walking a fine line between completing the long-awaited Education Programme and once again losing political direction.

Following recent criticism of the post-16 campus plans, the President of ESC and the Director of Education chose to sit down with Express and talk at length about the troubled road to the upcoming Capital Portfolio debate, when deputies will be asked to essentially either push forward with the long gestating plan for island education or kick it into the long grass. 

In this series Express deconstructs a lengthy interview with the two figureheads in island education. 

This first instalment focuses on assumptions and rhetoric, and Deputy Dudley-Owen's concern that some politicians are “wilfully misleading” the public. 

Andrea dudley owen nick Hynes education

Pictured: Deputy Dudley-Owen, President of ESC, and Director of Education, Nick Hynes.

Spiralling costs 

Express has opened up its platform multiple times to allow politicians to voice their opinions and concerns, wishing to give ‘airtime’ to the island’s elected officials. 

Deputy Gavin St Pier is one of the few who consistently provides comment and feedback, and regularly provides comment on each passing States debate. This month was no different.  

In his latest piecehe passed comment on the successful Herm Requete that saw ESC forced to renege on its pilot to close the small island’s only school. This swiftly led to Deputy St Pier commenting on the Education Programme in general: 

Deputy Dudley-Owen has subsequently come out arguing that these comments are simply not true. 

In actual fact, the opposite is true,” she said. In terms of project costs, they are specifically very, very well controlled.  

If we take inflation out of the equation, this is an extremely well managed and tightly governed project.” 

les ozouets

The latest figures put the entire Education Programme at £128million. The multi-faceted programme includes the development of the Les Ozouets campus (above), a digital transformation project and the update of the Education Law.  

Just under £100million of that total cost will be used to develop the combined Guernsey Institute and sixth form centre, with the sixth form centre being about £20million of that total.  

The remaining £28million covers programme costs and the implementation of the digital transformation programme. 

“If it wasn't for the increases in inflation, we would have made savings against the original costings that we thought,” said the Director of Education, Nick Hynes. 

“The increase in costs is purely down to inflation, and building costs going up because of things we can't control. 

This inflationary risk is built into all States’ expenditure, according to Deputy Dudley-Owen, who argues that the cost of the project is doing the opposite of spiralling: “It's extremely well managed and tightly controlled. 

Contractor 

In December 2022 the States of Guernsey dropped RG Falla Limited as the preferred contractor to build the post-16 campus. 

It turned out to be a particularly prescient move as RG Falla Limited shortly dissolved as the entire Garenne Group collapsed. 

closed shut building site builders construction

While Deputy St Pier’s assertion that a replacement builder for the post-16 campus hasn’t been contracted is true, Deputy Dudley-Owen said it doesn’t mean that relevant conversations aren’t being had. 

"We are not at liberty at this time to go into any further detail but suffice to say, if we get the go ahead, along with other capital expenditure projects, to continue with the construction project, there is a timeline for delivery, which starts early next year,” she said. 

She said that talks with contractors have been undertaken and “it’s not true that there aren’t interested parties”. 

I think that people would have to intelligently draw their own conclusions. 

A duty not to mislead 

The rhetoric and debate surrounding education will only amplify as the States gear up for a contentious meeting about capital projects.  

With this in mind, Deputy Dudley-Owen is concerned that some deputies continually rail against the model without absorbing the facts, lamenting a recent incident when only ten deputies turned up to a workshop on the Education Law after it was kicked backed to ESC earlier this year. 

"One of the biggest things here is that we are coming up against some really irresponsible behaviour from States members who are opposed to the current implementation of the model.  

"I've got a bit of a view that when you're a State's member it's your duty not to mislead the population, because you are in a better position than they are to know really what the facts are.  

So you might misinterpret something or may misunderstand itbut then when you're told what the facts are, then continue to misinterpretit's wilful and it becomes irresponsible. 

Check back in with the Bailiwick Express tomorrow for part two in this series, when Mr Hynes reveals the true extent of delaying the Education Programme and how a political system has failed teachers, students and the development of education in Guernsey. 

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