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Proposals agreed on Ireland's lower secondary education

Xinhua, May 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

An agreement has been reached between Ireland's Department of Education and the country's second-level teaching unions in the dispute over junior cycle reform, the government said on Wednesday.

The leadership of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), along with Education Minister Jan O'Sullivan, have committed their support and strong endorsement to these clearly stated proposals, outlined in a document entitled "Junior Cycle Reform: Joint Statement on Principles and Implementation," according to a government statement.

Junior cycle (lower secondary education) is a three-year program which is usually taken by students between the ages of 12/13 and 15/16 years.

This document will be presented by the leadership of both unions to their executives on this coming Friday, and the Department of Education will also present the document for discussion to all education stakeholders.

According to the Department of Education, the document outlines a foundation for reform of the junior cycle in the context of principles outlined by Education Minister O'Sullivan, such as recognizing a wide range of learning, reducing the focus on one terminal exam as a means of assessing students, greater collaboration between teachers, parents and students getting a broader picture of each student's learning throughout the whole of junior cycle and the importance of classroom-based assessment.

It's hoped the document will be put to a ballot of trade union members in autumn this year. Endit