The Minister for Education and Science, Ms Hanafin, has signalled her unease about the proposed radical reform of the Leaving Cert exam.
In an interview with The Irish Times today, she defends the exam which she says is well regarded nationally and internationally as an objective assessment. Pressure has been building for a new-style exam which puts an emphasis on self-directed learning, continuous assessment and project work.
But Ms Hanafin says she is particularly concerned about the impact of these proposed changes on teenage boys. "I'm just not so sure. As it is, we have many teenage boys who are not performing within a highly structured exam system. I would worry about their capacity for independent, self-directed learning."
She also stresses her concerns about the cost of such a continuous assessment system.
Ms Hanafin makes it clear that she intends to tread warily in education. "I am not interested in changing things for change's sake," she declares. In her view, there is much that is right about the education system. She is interested, she says, in improving only those elements which need to be improved.
On other issues, Ms Hanafin also
Backs the reform process under way at third level and says she does not have "any problems" with a five-year extension for the embattled UCC boss, Dr Gerry Wrixon;
Acknowledges that some programmes in educational disadvantage "have been allowed to drift without sufficient focus";
Rules out any high-stakes national testing of seven and 11-year-olds on the same day.
"The idea of a standardised test taken by every child in the State on the same day is a non-runner," she says.
On third level, Ms Hanafin - in a move which will be welcomed by many academics - says the agenda should not simply be driven by economic imperatives. Universities have a role over and above an economic one which must also be acknowledged, she says.
The momentum towards a radical shake-up of the Leaving Cert exam has been building for several years. The former minister, Mr Dempsey, was a critic of the exam, which he said was outmoded.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), which advises the Minister, has proposed sweeping changes which would see less rote learning and a new stress on self-directed learning, continuous assessment and project work. There has even been speculation that these changes could be introduced by 2010.
But Ms Hanafin's comments appear to put a brake on some of these plans. She also expresses concern about the heavy cost of a new system of continuous assessment, where exams are marked externally. This could be very expensive, she says.
Although well regarded by parents and employers, the Leaving Cert exam has been widely criticised by educationalists.
