Revised science course taken up by less than half of second-level schools

LESS than half the country’s second- level schools have decided to teach a revised science course which caused a major dispute between a teachers’ union and the Government.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland said last night that thousands of children in poorer areas will be left behind as a result of the low uptake of the new Junior Certificate syllabus.

According to the Department of Education more than 300 of around 750 second-level schools notified them up to yesterday’s deadline that they would instruct the new course.

Education Minister Noel Dempsey announced in June that schools could continue teaching the old course for another year or adopt the new syllabus for examination in 2006.

The ASTI banned its members in August from teaching the revised course, which requires students to do about 30 experiments, fearing it posed health and safety risks.

Mr Dempsey said the ban breached an industrial relations clause in social partnership.

When his assertion was upheld by an independent arbitration board a fortnight ago, the directive was withdrawn by the teachers’ union.

However, ASTI president Pat Cahill said last night that the uptake figures for the new course show most schools still have inadequately equipped labs.

“This will create a two-tiered system because it is the schools in disadvantaged areas with the least modern labs which will have opted out,” he said.

“We were right not to want our members teaching the new course, which they want brought in but only when they have the proper labs and equipment,” he said.

The Department of Education has promised ASTI and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland that grants of up to €15,000 will be available for each lab in around 400 schools, but only when they sign up to the new course.

TUI president Derek Dunne said the number of schools opting to begin teaching it this year was surprisingly low.

“But I think there was a degree of confusion over the last few months and some late applications for the new syllabus might arrive next week after the mid-term break,” he said.