‘Enact junior cert reforms or students will suffer’

Students will suffer untold damage unless junior cycle reform proposals are put into action, says the head of a body representing almost 100 second-level schools.

Association of Community and Comprehensive Schools general secretary Eileen Salmon believes the Department of Education needs to take immediate steps to ensure the necessary resources are in place so schools can implement the changes. But, she said, the biggest frustration for school management has been the delays in rolling out changes because of industrial action by the two second-level teacher unions.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland and Teachers’ Union of Ireland continue to ban their 27,000 second-level members from taking part in any training or other activities related to the reform proposals. They decided last month not to accept final proposals from talks chairman Pauric Travers, saying agreement on how the changes are resourced must take place before they could put the measures to a ballot.