Teachers to protest over Junior Cycle

TEACHERS around the country will hold a lunchtime protest this afternoon against changes to the Junior Cycle.

The protest is organised by second level unions ASTI and TUI and will take the form of a short rally outside second-level school premises around the country.

Regular school business will not be disrupted by the actions and normal supervision arrangements will continue during the event.

Teachers believe the minister’s proposals pose serious threats to education standards and to the objectivity and transparency of Junior Cycle examinations. This comes after Education Minister Ruairi Quinn said modern students were simply ‘memorising stuff ’.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s Today With Seán O’Rourke, Mr Quinn said: ‘They’re learning answers to anticipated questions next June. They’re revising a curriculum. They’ve stopped actually learning. They’re now learning to remember, they’re memorising stuff. That is no longer learning in the 21st Century.’

President of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland Gerard Craughwell said that teachers have grave reservations about some aspects of the proposal. He said: ‘We welcome the addition of short courses but we have serious concerns about issues such as resources, we have serious concerns about issues such as the funding of the programme.’

Yesterday the department released a circular outlining how reforms in English will be rolled out next September and science reforms will be introduced to first years during 2015/2016. Phase three will see business studies and Irish introduced to first years in 2016/2017, while art, craft, design and modern language will be introduced to first years in September 2017. More changes will follow in 2018 and 2019.