Unions insist on external assessment of junior cycle

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.

But the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) insisted last night that students must be assessed externally and the planned Junior Cycle Student Award certified by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), instead of by their own teachers and schools, which Education Minister Ruairi Quinn is proposing.

Despite insisting the increased supports, extra training and slower pace of change promised by his officials a week ago were not enough to address their concerns, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and TUI attended the first sub-group meeting of the working group on junior cycle reform yesterday. Both were unhappy with assurances offered by Mr Quinn’s officials to the working group last Friday that their issues were being dealt with.