Students can be assessed by their own teachers in a replacement of the Junior Certificate in a way that is fair and leads to improved learning, the country’s chief schools inspector says.

The Department of Education could spend €1m in the next year on designing training that teachers are refusing to attend, in an industrial dispute over junior cycle reform.

The number of students who did an optional Junior Certificate oral Irish test has shot up by one-third this year, despite teacher union opposition to school-based assessment.

Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan is not ruling out any changes to the detail of junior cycle reforms after hearing teachers’ concerns about the plans.

The new education minister has worked in the classroom, but will rely on lessons learned in the political arena, writes Education Correspondent Niall Murray

Failure to address teachers’ concerns over his junior cycle reform plans has prompted Education Minister Ruairi Quinn to invite unions to talks aimed at breaking the deadlock.

School managers have told Education Minister Ruairí Quinn his plan to replace the Junior Certificate will fail if he does not give schools the time and staffing supports to implement it.

The possible withdrawal from teaching of English in their row with Education Minister Ruairi Quinn over the replacement of the Junior Certificate may be put to ASTI members in the autumn.

English teachers at nearly 400 secondary schools could be told not to teach the new junior cycle curriculum under an emergency proposal that might reach their union conference floor today.

Parents are to be targeted in a campaign to explain teacher’s educational concerns about Ruairi Quinn’s plans to replace the Junior Certificate with a new system of school-based assessment.

The loud negative reaction of secondary teachers to his remarks on junior cycle reform was described last night by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn as part and parcel of democracy.

A strong majority of teachers of English do not accept they had enough training to begin covering a new course next autumn as part of Education Minister Ruairi Quinn’s Junior Cycle reforms.

The new junior cycle student award cannot be implemented in second-level schools, according to almost nine out of 10 teachers.

The details of how standards can be maintained in the system proposed to replace the Junior Certificate are being examined in talks to try resolving a dispute with teachers, Education Minister Ruairi Quinn told the Dáil.

Claims that teachers will come under pressure to mark their students favourably in exams replacing the Junior Certificate have been dismissed by a parents’ leader.

A protracted stand-off between teachers and Education Minister Ruairi Quinn over junior cycle reform looks likely after he said he is pushing ahead as planned.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn’s plans to abolish the Junior Certificate are in disarray after teachers voted strongly to end all co-operation with the reforms.

Debating the proposed changes to the Junior Cert cycle have bitterly divided the educational establishment.

THE President of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland, Gerard Craughwell, says he doesn’t think we should “experiment” with our children’s future but I don’t know how we can make progress if we don’t.

The proposed Junior Cycle programme has run into strong opposition from teachers. How radical are the changes and what do they mean, asks Education Correspondent Niall Murray

The planned replacement of the Junior Certificate with a system which will see teachers marking their own students is being pushed ahead by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn is facing further pressure on his plans to replace the Junior Certificate with a school-marked system after Fine Gael members voted to seek changes.

Union leaders and teachers are still in talks and training about junior cycle reforms they plan to ballot on withdrawing from or even striking over.

Students starting second level in September will be the first to sit the Junior Cycle Student Award, the new name for the qualification to replace the Junior Certificate.

The new name for the Junior Certificate has been revealed.