Teachers stand firm on marking as strike looms

Ahead of next week’s planned one-day strike, second-level teaching unions have said they are willing to enter talks on the Junior Cycle — but only if their concerns about training and resource levels and the requirement to assess their own students are addressed.

Yesterday, Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan claimed that while she had shown a willingness to compromise on the issues in dispute, the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (Asti) and the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) were “steadfastly failing to move”.

Up to 27,000 teachers who are members of the Asti and the TUI will strike on December 2 with a further day in January.