Junior Cert revamp is a mistake

Parents are always concerned about their children’s educational progress.

It’s natural they’d be worried about an escalation of the ASTI dispute but there is something far more damaging, more permanent and more misguided being introduced next year. I refer, of course, to what is effectively the abolition of the Junior Cert.

I’m not anti-change and there are many cheap and effective changes that would improve the system. The Junior Cert will go from being standardised, fair and objective to being unfair, subjective and non-standardised. There will be as many standards as there are teachers when teachers will mark their own students.