Secondary school teachers may call third strike

Up to 30,000 secondary school teachers are on strike again today in a row over Junior Cycle reform.

Teachers say they may call a third day of strike unless agreement is reached.

The unions are fundamentally opposed to marking their own pupils for state certification, even though the Education Minister has reduced the requirement by 60%.

Gerry Quinn, President of the Teachers Union of Ireland, says it is not about needing help - teachers are concerned with the standardisation of grades across the country.

"This is about a principled position of opposition to school-based assessment for certification purposes," he said.

"Teachers are well able to assess. Teachers know how to assess.

"But there's a professionalism about the State Exam Commission's co-ordination of the assessment for certification which ensures that there is a consistency and a standardisation around grades, so that a grade in Donegal, an A grade there, has the same value as an A grade in Dublin, or an A grade in Kerry."

Students say they are worried that this year's Junior and Leaving Cert exams could be postponed, because of the ongoing strike action.

Joanna Siewierska, Education Officer with the Irish Second Level Students Union, said that she had no problem with her own teachers grading her work.

"I know this is happening in several countries across Europe and it's not a problem to me personally," she said.

"I mean, I trust my teachers, they're professionals, so why should I have a problem with them grading my exam?

"I mean, nobody's going to look over and say, 'Oh, you know, I don't like Joanna, I'm going to give her a C because she didn't do well enough for me'.

"Nobody is saying that that is going to happen. I still have trust in my teachers and I believe that they would be able to do it just as well as any other teacher in the country that might get their hands on my paper."