Teachers says Leaving Cert reforms are too rushed

Secondary school teachers across Westmeath joined 30,000 colleagues around the country in a lunchtime protest today in a bid to delay changes to the Leaving Certificate.

Organised by the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI), the nationwide protest was in response to a decision by the Department of Education to accelerate reforms to the senior cycle.

The teaching unions say their members "are concerned that aspects of the plans pose a threat to education standards, fairness and quality. They also have concerns about current system capacity to accommodate such major change."

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner at the protest outside Loreto College, Mullingar, science teacher Sarah Moran stressed that teachers agree the Leaving Certificate needs to be reformed, but believe the changes have been rushed in without enough consultation.

"There needs to be more planning and more of a contribution from teachers. There hasn't been much thought put into it.

"We are worried that it's going to be very much like the Junior Cycle where students are the ones that are losing out.

"We're supposed to protect the Leaving Certs. It's their future that's at stake here.

"The training board is responsible for upskilling teachers. We had a training day and they didn't have a lot of answers. If they can't tell you what's happening, you're going to be a bit wary, especially as these changes are coming in in September."

Outside Coláiste Mhuire, a spokesperson said that teachers "will support change that is sufficiently resourced and is of educational benefit."

They added that it is important that sufficient resources are provided to ensure an effective roll-out of the reforms and that the resources are allocated equitably across all schools.

In a statement issued today, ASTI and TUI said that it's important that "any changes to subjects/specifications are not rushed through, are of educational benefit to our students, and are based on the professional views of those practitioners tasked with delivery."

"Comprehensive and fully informed in-service training has to be provided to all teachers well in advance of implementation."