Why are teachers protesting this afternoon?
Thousands of second-level teachers held lunchtime protests outside schools on Tuesday afternoon to call for delays to Leaving Certificate reform.
The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) say the protests followed a decision by Minister for Education Norma Foley to “accelerate” senior cycle – or Leaving Certificate – redevelopment plans.
The first batch of redeveloped subjects is due to be introduced to schools in September 2025.
Was the school day being disrupted?
No – the school day continued as normal. Unions said they were holding a protest, not a picket. Any teachers rostered for supervision duties at lunchtime, for example, were not requested to take part in the protest.
So what changes are planned under the reform of senior cycle?
The plans involve redeveloping subjects to ensure there is less emphasis on the final written exams and more emphasis placed on project work – or “additional components of assessment” – worth up to 40 per cent.
Minister for Education Norma Foley has said the changes are aimed at ensuring a students’ result will not be determined by their performance “on one day in June”.
Under the next phase of planned changes, a group of seven subjects – including biology, chemistry, physics, business – are being redeveloped and due to be introduced to schools in September 2025. In addition, there will be two new subjects: climate action and sustainable development; and drama, film and theatre studies.
Other subjects will follow on a rolling basis over the coming years.
The aim is that senior cycle will be fully redeveloped for students sitting the 2031 exams – most of whom are in sixth class at primary school.
So, what are teachers objecting to, exactly?
Teaching unions want to delay these changes amid “grave concern” that aspects of the plans pose a threat to education standards, fairness and quality.
They also have voiced concerns about current system capacity to accommodate such significant change.
Unions say any changes to subjects or specifications should not be “rushed through” and need to be based on the professional views of those practitioners tasked with delivering them.
They also want “comprehensive and fully informed in-service training” for all teachers well in advance of implementation, as well as “sufficient resources” to ensure a smooth and effective roll-out.
They say they are not opposing the planned introduction of two new subjects; drama, film and theatre studies; climate action and sustainable development.
What is the response of Minister Norma Foley and the Department of Education?
The Department says additional resources are being provided to support curricular reforms – €30 million in Budget 2025 for senior cycle redevelopment and other curricular changes
It says that about 8,000 teachers have already attended training days and 2,000 have attended subject-specific days and that “delivery of teacher training is continuing at pace”. Further information on subject specifications - or curriculum details - and sample papers are due over the coming months.
In addition, Ms Foley has pledged additional resources and teaching hours for the two new subjects being introduced. One hundred schools have been selected to be the first the offer the subjects: drama, film and theatre studies; climate action and sustainable development.
This all sounds a bit like controversial Junior Cycle reforms a few years ago. Will we see industrial action?
It’s too early to say for sure, but there are some crucial differences.
The lightning rod issue in Junior Cycle reform was a plan for teachers to assess their students for the purposes of the exam.
In the senior cycle reforms, a plan for teachers to assess their students’ project work has already been “paused” in the face of opposition from unions and others. Instead, the State Examinations Commission will assess project work.
In addition, plans to move the English and Irish paper one exams to the end of fifth year have been jettisoned in the face of opposition.
This has taken much of the heat out of the opposition, but it could grow again as reform plans for subjects are fleshed out.
In English, for example, a project worth 40 per cent may take place at the end of fifth year – and this is already attracting opposition in some quarters.
How will this be resolved?
It seems unlikely that Norma Foley will agree to pausing Leaving Certificate reforms having already given way on two key issues: teachers assessing their own students; and moving some exam papers to the end of fifth year.
For teachers, a key source of frustration is that in-service sessions to date have lacked subject specific details on what assessments will look like.
Details on subject specifications are due soon and sample exam papers will be available for the first batch of redeveloped subjects in April next year – in advance of any student starting the course in September 2025.
This may well take much of the heat out of the current issues - time will tell.
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