Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests from the ASTI, the Irish Human Rights Commission and the Irish Heart Foundation on the very important topic of the junior certificate which will have key ramifications for the curriculum and the type of course and direction that secondary school education takes in the coming years.

I apologise for missing the first part of the ASTI presentation. There are a few points I would like developed. How has the ongoing industrial situation between teachers and the Department affected preparations for the start of the junior certificate reform for English? What is the position with regard to courses, engagement and so on? What level of engagement has taken place so far between teachers and the Department in the area of professional training and preparation for the introduction of the English course? Are we still on course to ensure that is achieved on time for the new junior certificate reformed English curriculum beginning next year?

Do the witnesses believe that the amount of in-service training that is being discussed and offered by the Department is where it needs to be and is sufficient to ensure teachers are prepared for the new course and are fully engaged with it in order that it starts in the way we need it to? It is important that the whole reform process starts on a good footing. The way in which reform of the English curriculum starts and how English teachers react will have a bearing on how teachers down the road will react and on the feedback to other teachers. If not done properly it could lead to difficulties, and that is not the way to start off.

I would appreciate a further comment on the issue of independent assessment and the Minister's proposal to move from a State certificate to a school certificate. I note that for the first couple of years the Minister has indicated that the examination will continue to be set and marked by the State Examination Commission but the overall proposal is that it will move away from the commission. That is an issue about which I would have serious concerns, having discussed the issue with parents and teachers. There are genuine concerns in this area. In asking teachers to mark their students, as such, they are also marking themselves, because it is the result of two or three years work with the students and how one class performs against another. We must ensure consistency and credibility, within a school to begin with in order that two teachers are not marking separately. For example, no teacher will want to mark themselves a bit lower. Everybody will hedge at the higher end in order that their students come out better. Likewise, schools will want to give themselves the benefit of the doubt in terms of the marking scheme because they will not want a lower marking than other schools. If we do down that road, it could lead to a situation where the credibility of the junior certificate as a benchmark of standards in the education system is diminished and lost and possibly also the credibility in respect of a student in one school being able to assess his or her marks against another student in another school who sat the same examination. In relation to-----