11/03/2014

Secondary School Teachers Protest Over Junior Cycle Proposals

Secondary school teachers across the State are protesting over proposed changes to the Junior Cycle programme.

The protest have been coordinated by the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland and the Teacher's Union of Ireland, which represent 27,000 teachers.

It is understood that both unions are also due to ballot their members over a mandate for non-cooperation with the implementation of the new programme.

TUI President Gerard Craughwell said: "A recent OECD report shows that out of 34 countries surveyed, Ireland enjoys the highest level of public satisfaction with the education system and schools.

"We believe that such clear public trust will be put at risk with the planned discontinuation of external assessment and removal of external moderation at Junior Cycle level.

"There remains an unacceptable lack of information about how the new programme will work and how it will be resourced. With less the six months before implementation is scheduled to begin, this is nowhere near good enough. Change for which adequate preparation has not been made can cause lasting damage to the education system and the educational experience of students."

(MH)

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