Teachers accused of bid to keep ‘pressure’ exams
He was responding to a request by the two second-level teaching unions that members join a lunchtime protest next month in support of their campaign against the pace and details of his reforms. The 27,000 members of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) at 730 schools will still be voting on possible industrial action on the proposals when the half- hour walkout is planned on March 11.
Union officials say there will be no disruption to students, and supervision cover will be provided as normal, but they want teachers to rally at school gates to spread information about their concerns. Their main issues surround the planned scrapping of the Junior Certificate — with schools set to mark their own students — as well as difficulties with planned teacher-training levels and resources for schools to implement the changes.
