Around 30-thousand secondary school teachers took part in today’s protest
Teachers say new plans for a revamp of the Senior Cycle pose a threat to education standards.
That’s the warning second-level teachers who staged lunchtime protests today over the measures.
Around 30-thousand secondary school teachers took part in today’s protest, they’re calling for a delay in the rollout of changes to the senior cycle.
That’s Liz Farrell from the Teachers Union of Ireland who says they’re simply not prepared for those changes, and they need more time.
“We’re making changes but we need more time, really to sit back and look at how we’re going to implement those changes, for the good of the students.
“I think what people forget is that teachers are with students all day every day, they know what students need from Senior Cycle.
“The big question that nobody has asked in all of this redevelopment, is how to decouple the CAO points from secondary schools, and that’s what we’re not seeing across sectors.
Nobody is asking the hard questions.”
Policymakers are reportedly discussing plans that would reduce English and Maths to just one paper, with a project worth 40 percent of the exam completed at the end of fifth year.
While, other changes include some practical work being replaced with project work, and President of the ASTI – Donal Cremin says that’s unfair.
“We need to retain some of what we have.
“The practical is going in both construction and engineering, it’s going to be a project work for everything.
“Treating everything the same is not right because some people need more practical skills with their hands.”
Teachers are also saying they need training well in advance of any changes to subjects.
Donal says that’s vital.
“Teachers don’t know what they’re going to be doing in a year’s time, there’s no papers for students.
“When they go to these training sessions the trainers can’t answer questions, just simple questions teachers have, and teachers feel a little bit frustrated.”
