The chief executive of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCO), Ms Anne Looney, has described the council's plans for a new senior cycle at second-level as an example of "futurist thinking". Few would disagree with this view.
The NCO has produced a radical plan which would transform Irish education. By 2010, the distinction between higher and ordinary level could be abolished, schools could remain open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day and students may be allowed to choose their own dress codes.
If these are the eye-catching elements of the plan, there is also much that is sensible and overdue. In essence, the council wants to remove the appalling burden of one terminal examination on students. Instead, they want continuous assessment and a greater emphasis on project and portfolio work. Students will also win credits for noteworthy achievement in areas like work experience, participation in school councils and arts activities.
It is a bold and radical vision but one which reflects the widespread dissatisfaction among educationalists and students with the Leaving Certificate in its current form. The on-line poll conducted by the NCO revealed the extent to which the education community feel the examination is outmoded and in need of reform. Broadly, many teachers do not like it because it tests only a narrow range of skills and allows little scope or rewards for personal initiative and flair. Students dislike it because of the huge - some would say intolerable - burden it places on their young shoulders.
These criticisms of the Leaving Certificate are not new; the examination has been unloved for as long as most can remember. For all that, it has still managed to occupy a towering presence in the Irish educational landscape. The main reason for this is the huge level of support it continues to attract from the general public. Students and teachers may dislike it but the general public and employers regard the Leaving as a good, solid test of a student's ability. The integrity of the examination and its marking standards are also widely acknowledged.
The challenge facing policy-makers is to shape a new style Leaving Certificate while retaining this high level of public support. There is also the challenge of bringing the second-level teaching unions on side. The TUI appears open-minded about continuous assessment but some in the ASTI leadership are vehemently opposed to any system where teachers assess their own students.
The NCO deserves credit for its work. It is to be hoped that the Minister, Mr Dempsey, will pick up the baton. The Minister has been candid about the shortcomings of the Leaving, describing it as an examination designed for the last century - but he may want to allow the planned public meetings on education policy to help set the agenda. That would be a sensible move. It is essential that the widest possible consultation takes place on the issue. In the interim, the NCO document should serve as a very useful template for change.