Teachers protest over Junior Cycle plans

The public opinion war over Education Minister Ruairi Quinn’s plan to abolish the Junior Certificate stepped up a gear as teachers took to school gates airing their fears for the impact on education standards.

With English due to be the first subject undergoing changes, and training already started for teachers of the subject, they were among those most concerned during the lunchtime protests around the country.

Seán Ó Colmáin, one of more than 20 teachers outside Coláiste an Phiarsaigh in Glanmire, Co Cork, said things are very unclear after the first workshop for English teachers, particularly about assessment questions that were asked.

“It’s very hard if you’re going to be starting in September after one day in-service, you really have no idea what they’re looking for from you at the very end.” said Mr Ó Colmáin. “By the time second year comes in, we’re going to have to give an oral exam, but they still have no idea what that’s going to be.

“There are aspects of this that are good but they just need to be planned out in a more defined way.”

Mr Ó Colmáin's colleague and Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland standing committee member Máire Ní Chiarba said parents are very concerned that the proposed Junior Cycle Student Award means students would no longer receive a certificate from the State.

“They will be receiving, at the end of three years, what will be a school report by any other name,” said Ms Ní Chiarba .

The 27,000 second-level members of ASTI and Teachers’ Union of Ireland are being balloted this month on withdrawal of co-operation with the reforms. Although nearly 4,000 English teachers and more than 800 school leaders have attended 286 workshops since October, their participation could end if teachers back union leaders’ call to support the ballot.

Mr Quinn said that the pace of change has been slowed down and that his officials are continuing to talk to teacher unions and asking them to put down on paper what exactly they want.

“I want to hear from the teachers,” said Mr Quinn. “They can’t just say we don’t like this and we don’t want to do it, that ship has left the harbour.”

At Newpark Comprehensive School in Blackrock, Co Dublin, TUI president Gerard Craughwell said there is an unacceptable lack of concrete information about how the new system will work or be resourced less than six months before its implementation begins.

He said public trust in schools and the education system will be put at risk by plans to end external assessment and remove external moderation at junior cycle.

This is the issue of most concern to teachers and ASTI president Sally Maguire said all their concerns have been made known to the minister.

“We have made it clear that teachers want a fair, transparent, objective and equitable exams process for junior cycle students,” said Ms Maguire. “Anything less has the potential to seriously undermine education standards and to exacerbate inequalities between pupils and schools.

“We cannot take this risk with our young people,” she said.