Education reform - School must prepare next generation

Radical changes are planned to replace the current Junior Certificate from 2017, when marking will include online and class tests on the basis of continuous assessment, which will consist of 40% of marks, and the final written examination worth the other 60%.

The changes will be introduced gradually for those beginning their first year of secondary school in 2014.

Such changes have been demanded for more than a decade. There has been political opposition to the cost of making the changes.