Unfair to 60,000 students in 2017

Sir — From a parental perspective Colm O’Rourke’s (Sunday Independent, September 25) article on what he describes as the ASTI march to destruction deserves closer scrutiny. In particular, there is the unfair and scandalous situation facing those 60,000 students taking their English Junior Cert in 2017.

Back in June 2013 with a child about to move from primary to post primary school I attended a Kerry-wide meeting on the new Junior Certificate sponsored jointly by inspectors from the Department for Education and the National Parents’ Council.

At the meeting we learned about the major changes to take place in English and mathematics. In English, we learned that the new curriculum would include classroom-based assessment. But now it seems that is not to be. Our child’s school, like so many others, has been silent on the issue. Are we expected to wait until next year’s results before we are told that our children’s coursework has been ignored and their results seriously compromised?

What, I wonder, are the Department of Education and the National Parents’ Council doing to keep us informed? Both bodies seem very silent on what is an impending disaster, which is leaving children bewildered and will be damaging to so many of them. Is the Minister for Children doing anything to alleviate this growing scandal currently facing hard-working 14-year-olds? Alan Whelan Killarney Co Kerry