Teachers unions differ on exam reforms

The potential for division between the two second-level unions on strategy in relation to junior cycle reforms will be watched closely by the Department of Education this week.

Although Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan was not invited to this year’s Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) convention, she will offer her views on the dispute to Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) congress delegates in Wexford tomorrow.

Before her address, more than 400 delegates will have voted on motions in which continued opposition to reforms is urged. However, there have been significant developments since those motions had to be submitted by TUI branches before Christmas, with a final series of proposals in last February the current subject of disagreement.