Ms Sally Maguire:

I thank the members and the Chairman, Deputy Tuffy, for the opportunity to address the committee. This is not ASTI's first time to address the committee on the subject of the junior cycle framework, but this is a critical time for its implementation.

ASTI has been engaged in a continual process of consultation with teachers on the issues arising from the framework for the past year. As a result of recent talks on the Haddington Road agreement, we have secured the formation of an implementation group. Last Monday, we held a bilateral meeting with officials from the Department of Education and Skills to outline ASTI's concerns about the framework.

The core messages that came back from our consultation was that aspects of the framework are very good for teaching and learning. Teachers are excited about much of what is in the framework. They are excited about the nuts and bolts of the framework but when we dug down beyond that, we realised that 50% of ASTI principals said that our schools do not have the capacity to bring in the changes.

Teachers are also greatly concerned about the framework's assessment and certification model. The fact that it is exclusively school based does not give confidence to teachers and we need some external benchmark to keep standards up. The two big issues that concern teachers about the assessment are, first, that Ireland is lucky to have a special teacher-student relationship. Teachers are very precious about it because they view themselves as advocates for their students. Teachers do not want that relationship changed into one of judging students.

The second important issue is that teachers feel that standards may drop or at least will not be consistent because what works in one school may not work in another. The OECD has always said that all of its evidence showed that Ireland is unique because no matter what school one goes to, a consistent standard of education is delivered across the board.

If we lose that, we lose so much. It is a big worry for parents. We feel there is a widening gap between policy aspirations and the implementation strategy involved in the framework. That has now become a concern for all of the education partners, including management bodies, staff and unions. All of the education partners are now saying the same thing, namely, that we are not ready for the implementation of this framework. This is a huge culture change for teachers and to suggest that it can be done in one day, which is what the Department is proposing, and in advance of the English subject specifications coming in, is absolutely ludicrous.

We feel that what is needed is whole-staff training, in order to get across this cultural change to teachers within their own schools. It is really unfair to expect English teachers to attend in-service training and to be the carriers of that training to the rest of the staff. They should not be expected to have to explain a whole new way of teaching and learning to their colleagues.

We would like to see the deferral of at least some aspects of the framework until such time as teachers have confidence in it, believe in it and believe they can do it. They want to do it but they want to do it right, and right may not mean right now. On the issue of assessment, we feel that assessment is central to education but it is not the only or even the major tool for improving the quality of learning. OECD evidence indicates that teachers have the biggest impact on student learning and outcomes. There is a mixture of fear and excitement among teachers but until their fears are overcome, it will not be possible to implement this framework in schools. We must get the resources, the training and all that is needed in terms of technology, continuous professional development and so forth right. This will not happen overnight, in one day or one week - training and professional development must be continuous until the framework is bedded down.

On the question of technology, we appreciate the fact that there are great moves afoot in the context of broadband availability in schools and understand that new initiatives will be announced next week. We welcome technological developments and investment. The new framework has the potential for the greater involvement of technology in learning. In that context, ICT equipment must be maintained and a ring-fenced budget must be put in place for schools to allow them to keep their ICT equipment up to date and to pay experts to look after it. Teachers are not techies, in the main. ICT systems break down and if we are moving in the direction of using ICT systems more, we need to have the backup in place. Even with enhanced broadband availability, some schools do not have the capacity to utilise it because their ICT systems are so old. That issue must be dealt with.

The most important point is that this framework will not work without teachers on board. We need to move forward, bring teachers along and enable them to believe in the framework. We must give them the facilities and supports they need so that they will believe in it. Then it could be something really new and exciting in education.