Junior Cert row set to spill over into 2015

The row over changes to the Junior Certificate between Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan and teacher unions looks set to spill into 2015 with no talks arranged.

The independent chair of talks that collapsed last month had an initial meeting yesterday with leaders of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI).

Pauric Travers, former president of St Patrick’s College in Dublin, was asked last week by the minister to see if there was scope to reopen the discussions on junior cycle reforms.