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LAST UPDATE | 19 Nov 2024
THOUSANDS OF TEACHERS have taken part in a protest outside schools this lunchtime to seek a delay in implementing the Senior Cycle redevelopment.
In 2022, Education Minister Norma Foley requested that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment prepare a schedule of senior cycle subjects to be reviewed and redeveloped.
It was then announced in September of this year that two new subjects are being added to the Leaving Cert – Drama Film and Theatre Studies, and Climate Action and Sustainable Development.
These new subjects will be introduced into schools next year, for fifth year students starting the 2025/2026 school year. The subjects will initially be offered to 100 schools.
Members of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) are taking part in today’s protest.
The organisations said they are not calling for the postponement of these new pilot subjects, adding that this is “being supported with additional resources and allocation for those schools involved.
Rather, the unions are protesting a decision to “accelerate” Senior Cycle redevelopment plans. The ASTI said teachers are “gravely concerned that aspects of the plans pose a threat to education standards, fairness and quality”.
These changes will see new and revised subject specifications to incorporate non-exam based assessments which will be worth at least 40% of the available marks and will be externally assessed by the State Examinations Commission.
ASTI also say that a large proportion of the course is open to cheating and that the resources needed to implement the course are not present in every school, giving an unequal opportunity for students and staff.
Teachers from ASTI and the second-level branch of TUI at St Kevin’s College in Ballygall, Co Dublin, teachers told The Journal today that example material and exams have yet to be shared with them.
ASTI shop steward Martin Monks said: “We work in a school where at the moment we have buckets and trays collecting water coming out of our roof because it is in desperate need of repair.
“The minister expects up to introduce a totally new curriculum while she is failing to keep our roof over our heads.”
Monks said that the unions were in no way opposed to reforming the leaving certificate or the senior cycle but that teachers need better training and more time before the course.
“We don’t even have as much as a sample paper or a sample exam to actually implement these things,” he said.
People Before Profit Dublin North-West candidate Conor Reddy and leader Richard Boyd Barrett as well as Sinn Féin TD Dessie Ellis were in attendance.
Reddy said that this issue reflects the treatment teachers have been facing in recent years by the outgoing government.
“One of the big things that needs to be solved on the other side of this election is a fair deal for teachers,” he said.
Reddy added: “St Kevin’s is a great school, a great community but they have a leaky roof and are struggling for resources. They have to put out the begging bowl, unfortunately, for voluntary contributions every year.
“For us (People Before Profit), we’d like to see much more State-funding […] so they’re not having to go above and beyond to give a decent education for people.”
While the ASTI said it is not “opposed to the redevelopment” it has called for “sufficient resources to be provided to ensure a smooth and effective roll-out”.
It added that any changes must not be “rushed through” and be of “educational benefit to students and based on the professional views of practitioners tasked with delivery”.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, ASTI President Donal Cremin said teachers want to “slow down the process” because the Department of Education “doesn’t have the resources at the moment to run things correctly and properly”.
“A rushed system can often be a failed system, and that’s what we’re afraid of, because it is a high stakes exam,” said Cremin.
Some €30 million of additional funding was provided in the budget for the continuation of curricular development and reforms and related teacher education.
But Cremin said this isn’t enough for the reforms and added that Ireland is the “lowest of the OECD countries” for investment in education.
“With the present economic climate, and the plenty of money that they have, they need to invest in second level education, they need to invest in our students for the future,” said Cremin.
He added that the reforms to the Senior Cycle are “too rushed” and “need to be pushed out by at least a year”.
Seven subjects are set to be introduced: Ancient Greek; Arabic; Business; Biology; Chemistry; Latin; and Physics. The second set of revised subjects will be introduced at the beginning of the 2026-27 school and includes English and Geography.
Three further tranches of subjects are then scheduled to undergo revision on an annual basis and the revised curriculum will come into schools in 2027, 2028, and 2029 respectively.
“It’s going to pressurize the system and it’s going to create major problems for students,” said Cremin. “Things were bad enough for the last number of years, but for the future, I think, slow down and move out by just one year.”
Includes reporting by Muiris Ó Cearbhaill at St Kevin’s College, Dublin.
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They never protest in July and august, funny that…
@Paul M Doe: Dumb comment… even by your standards.
@Louis Jacob: yes, it’s a very low bar
@Paul M Doe: Your parents and teachers are responsible for you being a middle aged virgin
@Freda Peeple: omg that’s so bad
@Karen Marten: Paul is a “no holds barred” type of guy. He’ll be alright.
@Freda Peeple: serious incel vibes lol
@Louis Jacob: he’s a pain in the backside .
@Paul M Doe: Totally agree
@Paul M Doe: they don’t want to be doing anything
@Paul M Doe: If you’re attending to work matters during your holidays then more fool you!
@Fintan Pox: Fintan Pox is just one account from this multi account troll . Read any of the Paul m doe (william slevin / fintan pox / john doe / john m doe / john p doe /ulysses / exhausted jim / tired jim / john jon / lefty tears / lefty cries and dozens more troll accounts ) and you will see the quality of his comments, he has never added anything constructive or of any merit to any conversation on this platform. He has been banned on many occasions for good reason.
On one hand , it is pitiful to think how someone’s life choices have led them to be this desperate for attention , while on the other hand it is easy to see that he is so pathetic that nobody will interact with him in the real world.
@Louis Jacob: he’s factually correct.
Comments are alarming.
Imagine if teachers actually protested during classes rather than their own lunch, the abuse would be outrageous.
As for what they are protesting over, read up on it before commenting, these changed will impact YOUR kids, and it will create an incredible amount of stress for YOUR child sitting the leaving cert. If you think sitting the LC in 6th year is tough, try having that feeling spread out over two years rather than one.
People hear teachers and lose the plot straight away, they are protesting for your children’s welfare here, these changes are not friendly towards senior students at all.
As a parent of a studious teen, who had to cope with CBAs in their first incarnation, I have to say listen to the teachers because they do care about their students and they want the best outcome for them possible. Too much teaching time was lost to those CBAs, I fear it will be similar for these assignments. More assessments = less instruction time.
Somewhere Michael O’Leary is kicking his feet up on a desk and falling out of his chair laughing.
@Gerard Martin: . Being a billionaire businessman doesn’t mean you can’t be a g******e. Just look at what’s incoming in the White House. There’s a difference between getting things done and getting things done properly. The education of young people shouldn’t be shortchanged.
@Richard Ford: Didn’t tens of millions of American Citizens vote for the next US President? I think you’re only fishing for thumbs up on this rag.
@Richard Ford: Different is O’Leary isn’t a g******e. He’s a very successful self made man, and he was spot on about too many teachers in the Dail.
@Ger Whelan: a very successful polished turd is still a turd
@Hayagriva: jealousy is a terrible thing.
@Ger Whelan: . Elon Musk is infinitely more successful than Michael O Leary in terms of business but listen to what he has to say!!! O Leary said we shouldn’t have teachers in the Dail and he lumped them in with Sinn Fein and The Greens. Yes teachers are over represented in the Dail but they find themselves in the Dail as a result of the freely expressed wishes of the electorate at the ballot box. It’s called democracy . The makeup of the Dail should reflect society at large. That means we should have people from both the private and public sectors. Michael O Leary can’t resist a microphone and when he’s in front of a microphone he just can’t help himself. Like I said just because you’re a billionaire businessman doesn’t mean you can’t be a g******e.
@Marvin Dollery: They did. They voted for an utterly incompetent individual who encouraged an insurrection that cost four officers of the law and one of his own supporters their lives. But hey that’s democracy. They didn’t vote for Musk but he’s coming along for the ride.
@Marvin Dollery: He’ll be good for the economy and put more money in peoples pockets but don’t pretend he isn’t a mysogynistic, racist, abuser!
@Sarah O’Sullivan: More money in wealthy people’s pockets. Everyone else will pay.
@Sarah O’Sullivan: Exactly and that is amongst many other things.
Another dream scheme from Norma
Teacher Unions’ primary goals are to protect and further the pay, conditions and interests of their members. If that has a positive effect of students, that’s a happy accident. When these Unions crow on about students, ignore them, it’s all BS just to further their interests.
We’ve had the same Leaving Cert since the 70’s. Giving everyone the same exam is not fair, as its supporters claim. They’re living in another era.
@Ronan Mc: Where the issue of resources are concerned; the interests of the teachers and students intersect. People who can’t see that can’t see much.
@Louis Jacob: so you agree then? Students benefiting from a teacher union demand is a happy accident.
@Ronan Mc: Nope. I don’t think you could describe it more inaccurately.
@Ronan Mc: In any case, I’m prepared to judge this (or any) situation on it’s merits.
@Ronan Mc: you do not know what you are talking about
@Ronan Mc: Eh the Leaving Cert of the seventies bears absolutely no relation to the Leaving Cert of today.
@Ronan Mc: who else will look after student interests?? Parents just think school is a babysitting service.
@Keyser Söze: maybe from where you come from .
Not true at all Ronan! Where have you been? The LC has changed to an unrecognisable degree since the 70′s. Yours is the most predictable type of comment: pseudo education masquerading as knowledge. Please don’t go to any parties. You’ll spoil them.
I’ve always called out public sector unions for their useless strikes, but for once, it seems like the ASTI and the TUI might actually have some sort of leg to stand on. Look, everyone knows the saying “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” It baffles the mind why this government wants to once again stick their fingers into the education pie and ruin it for the rest of us. The Leaving Cert is functioning just fine, one of my children sat his exams two years ago and another one that sat hers back in 2017. I’d been annoyed too, to be fair, if the government started rushing through nonsensical subjects without even offering any proper training. Why on earth does the Leaving Cert need Drama Studies and Climate Studies? They have no usefulness in the real world and they shouldn’t get funding.
I am confused with the issue? does this mean they will be unable to use previously made lesson plans and so will have more work?
@Dramafree 2023: more subjects. But who will teach these subjects. . Norma ? Secondary schools are stretched as it is. With lack of teachers
@Karen Marten: two subjects is it not? that is hardly going to be the straw that breaks the camels back. I believe some might even enjoy the new subjects and be helpful to their job satisfaction. The working day is not extending so I would assume the teachers teach the same number of hours and less kids will study existing subjects and it all levels out somewhere. change is not always bad.
@Dramafree 2023: You absolutely are confused, so maybe don’t post such a targeted and derogatory comment. Nobody is against the introduction of new subjects, if anything it will create jobs, they literally say in the article they are not looking to postpone their introduction, suggesting you did not read the article at all.
Two of the major issues are 1) There has been close to no training for these subjects, 2) the changing of assessment for students is going to create two years of high pressure stress as they will be now be consistently assessed across two years for their LC rather than at the end of one. Do you remember the stress of the LC? Try having that for two years in a row, not able to switch off at all as a teenager.
@Cormac Dennigan: continually been assessed should make it less stressfull as it not all crammed into a few weeks at the end of a two year cycle.
@James Brennan: You would think that and I thought so too, but now you have the equivalent of a high pressure assessment consistently occurring, meaning a teenager has to be on the ball for every single assessment that takes place in each subject, it takes away from their life completely. Extra curricular in 5th year? Can’t be at that, I may miss something important for my assessment, have a weekend off studying? Can’t, i’ve an assessment just around the corner. Change is needed, but this high pressure assessment regularly isn’t the answer.
@Cormac Dennigan: what in the world was derogatory about my comment? I cannot understand the issue. Things change, people have to upskill, take courses. In some lines of employment seek the courses in order to be an eligible candidate for the new role, competitively compete just to keep your job. The hours are the same for the teachers, the term stays the same. You state that they will have to recruit…so the current subject choices for the teachers will then remain the same. Why in the world are they protesting?! Also re the new system… Isnt that what they use in 3rd level already… exams, assessments and assignments over the term, year and degree…. even exam week I think we were able to find time for extra curricular activities, you are being dramatic.
@Dramafree 2023: from what I knowledge of a French teacher must have a degree French in university to teach French. And and maths. And so on so my valid point is .these are two NEW SUBJECTS WHO WILL TEACH THEM ?
@Karen Marten: so we must have a protest because you dont know that answer?
The sh+t-show that is Education, since N Foley took over, is not talked about enough. It hides behind the housing crisis, homeless crisis, health, immigration and cost of living. But she has been a disaster since day 1…she needs to go
They need to stop bumping up grades. When they leave school they are not able for third level education.
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Could they not figure out how to teach our native language to even the most basic standard?
@Terry o donnell: Very hard to teach people something they don’t want to learn.
@Terry o donnell: native language should be optional for students in secondary schools .
@Louis Jacob: very hard for students with learning difficulties to learn . That’s why there is a huge increase in Irish exemption s
@Karen Marten: Optional with bonus points maybe?
Minister Norma Foley & National Council for Curriculum and Assessment = policy.
Teachers = teaching and implementing policy.
@Stanley Marsh: Point?
@Louis Jacob: Really?
New JCT programme is just the pits for students…….. crying with fear having to deliver a cba with zero pressure from the teacher. It’s terrible
Hey kids, leave the teachers alone. Roger D.
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