Watch: Teachers rally at schools nationwide to protest Leaving Cert changes

ASTI members protesting outside Coláiste Éamann Rís, Deerpark, Cork, on Tuesday were joined by My Canine Companion dog Kora. Teachers nationwide rallied at their schools to call for a pause to proposed changes to the senior cycle. Picture: Larry Cummins

More than 30,000 second-level teachers held lunchtime protests across the country on Tuesday calling for a delay to proposed changes to the new Leaving Cert senior cycle.

The nationwide demonstrations come after Education Minister Norma Foley announced an acceleration of the programme last year.

That includes revised specifications for seven existing subjects that will be introduced in schools for the 2025/26 school year.

Teachers have said they have “grave concerns” over the plans and that they pose a threat to education standards for some 60,000 Leaving Cert students.

The rallies were organised by the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) whose leaders Donal Cremin and David Waters joined the lunchtime protest at Coolmine Community school to show their support.

Teachers protesting in Dublin on Tuesday at Coolmine Community School. Picture: Tommy Clancy

Kerry-based ASTI president Donal Cremin told the Irish Examiner: “We would hope that after the elections the minister will sit down with us, and will look at the overall structure of what they’re trying to do.”

The new system involves increasing the percentage of project work in all subject areas by 40%, which means the students will have to do seven subjects and seven projects.

“Seven projects in your final year is overload,” said Mr Cremin. “They might say that they will roll it back to fifth year, but you need fifth year to study.

Teachers from Patrician Academy, Mallow, Co Cork, taking part in the protest against the acceleration of proposed changes to the Leaving Certificate curriculum. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

“They are doing away with two papers in English, they are bringing it down to one. That’s more of a cost-saving exercise rather than an investment in education.

“We need investment. One of the reasons we are here at Coolmine is because this school needs to be upgraded quite a lot.

“There’s lots of prefabs here, but they are all over the country. We have some new schools, such as Scoil Mhuire gan Smál in Blarney, which got a beautiful new school, but they were waiting 25 years. That needs to be done everywhere.

“We need more technological equipment.

“English, maths, and science have 25% as a component of the project work, but then in other subjects like Irish, and foreign languages you have an aural and an oral and therefore you could have 40%.

“But then in the practical subjects you could have 50% or 60% in engineering, in construction, or home economics, and it gives students a variety. It doesn’t put them under severe pressure.”

TUI president David Waters said teachers cannot prepare if they do not know what the end result will be.

“We don’t even have sample papers,” he said.

“We are also concerned about artificial intelligence and examination integrity.

“By making everything at 40% and with vulnerabilities like AI we could be exacerbating inequality. We need time to iron out the issues.”