€1m spend on training that teachers won’t attend

The Department of Education could spend €1m in the next year on designing training that teachers are refusing to attend, in an industrial dispute over junior cycle reform.

More than 27,000 Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) members have withdrawn from co-operation with the planned Junior Cycle Student Award (JCSA), mainly over concerns about having to assess their own students.

The industrial action began in April and includes non-participation in continuous professional development (CPD) related to the planned replacement for the Junior Certificate.