Quinn stands over reform of junior cycle

A protracted stand-off between teachers and Education Minister Ruairi Quinn over junior cycle reform looks likely after he said he is pushing ahead as planned.

On Wednesday, 88% of Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland and Teachers’ Union of Ireland members voted in favour of industrial action. While they support many elements of the Junior Cycle Student Award proposals, the biggest issue of contention is that teachers should mark their own students on all aspects of assessment.

Mr Quinn said yesterday that teachers’ main concern was not wanting the Junior Certificate to disappear as a State exam. However, he said, the world did not collapse when the primary certificate was ended in 1967. “Nobody wants their child to leave school at 15 — they don’t need a State certificate examination,” he said.

Asked about the more serious nature of the row since the vote to take industrial action, he replied: “They have got a mandate for their executive to take various action, up to and including industrial action.”

ASTI and TUI sent directives to 730 second-level schools yesterday saying action is to begin on Monday, April 7. Members will not take part in professional development or planning activities for JCSA, or the design or teaching of related short courses.

Fianna Fáil education spokesman Charlie McConalogue said Mr Quinn had failed to listen to teachers’ concerns about the impact of scrapping independent assessment at junior cycle level, or to provide enough training for them.

“Not only has he ignored the genuine concerns of teachers and parents, he ignored the advice of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, which sought a mix of school-based and State-based assessment,” said Mr McConalogue. “He now needs to back away from abolishing all independent assessment and start considering a compromise, and he must do this in full consultation with teachers.”

The head of the body representing more than 90 second-level schools said it is positively disposed towards the changes, but needs support to carry them out effectively. Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools general secretary Ciarán Flynn said he is sympathetic to many of the concerns expressed by teacher unions.

“However, we hope that attempts to slow down progress by the unions is for all the right reasons and not a knee-jerk reaction to the cuts and changes in conditions of service which teachers have now been affected by,” he told the ACCS annual conference.