Doubts over TUI role in junior cycle reforms

There is still uncertainty over whether teachers at almost 400 second-level schools will take part in junior cycle reforms as their union awaits assurances on issues of concern from the Department of Education.

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) set a deadline three weeks ago for Education Minister Ruairi Quinn’s officials to address concerns about the changes by the end of next week.

It wants the issues to have been dealt with by a meeting scheduled for Jan 17 of a working group set up to deal with implementing changes to the junior cycle. Otherwise, the union has warned, it will ballot its 10,000 second-level members on withdrawing all co-operation from the planned reforms.