Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Much has been said about the reform of the junior cycle. My daughter will do her junior certificate in a couple of weeks and another daughter will enter post-primary education in September and will be one of the first students who will experience the changes.

I have spoken to parents who hold views at both ends of the spectrum. There are concerns which members recognise. The crux is that parents have respect for the teaching profession. Parents have great trust in what a teacher tells them about their child's capabilities, their academic ability. We go to the parent-teacher meetings. We get the results of the Christmas and Easter exams. We have faith and trust in what the teacher says, and rightly so, in my opinion.

The parents at the school gate are listening to this debate. Perhaps they do not get the nitty-gritty details of why the system is changing and the advantages of it, but they hear what the teachers say on the issues around the assessment and the lack of a State examination. The Department holds the opposite view, that the abolition of the junior certificate is in the best interests of educational outcomes and children. They are listening to two different messages. There is a danger that unless there is complete confidence in the new assessment procedures which are being proposed, eventually over time one will undermine the confidence in a school certificate or the changes the Minister is proposing. That could be detrimental in the longer term. There is a great deal of work to be done, not just between teaching unions and the Department but also convincing students and their parents that what the Minister is proposing is in the best interests of their children in the longer term.

If a teacher is saying that what is being proposed in terms of taking away the State examination element is not the way forward, there is a danger that it could undermine what the Minister is proposing. There is a job of work to be done. We have a role to play but I do not know how we will do it. The Minister has stated he is willing to engage with the unions, subject to the fact that it will not block the momentum. Speaking as a parent, I am not sure if that is the right course of action. It is almost setting a precondition to any negotiations. The Minister is saying that in terms of what is coming in and the timeframe for it, that it is happening in September 2014, he is willing to discuss resources and the concerns of teachers, but the Department is not changing its mind on what is being rolled out in September. I do not know if that is the right course of action. If everybody is going into negotiations and saying this is what we want to achieve, it may not be achieved by September. What really frustrated me and one of the real frustrations for me as a parent in setting up the consultation that did not take place in January was that we were told by the Department that we could not set up the consultation groups on the roll-out and implementation of junior cycle reform because the unions were still balloting on the Haddington Road agreement. I can understand the political context for that but parents at a school gate do not care if a union is involved in negotiations on the Haddington Road agreement, nor do they think it is right that the Department would not discuss the roll-out of junior cycle reform until a union signs up to it. I think that was the wrong thing to do.

Parents have significant concerns and I would not underestimate the potential of this concern to undermine everything the Minister is trying to achieve. Teachers are highly respected and valued members of the wider community. As one parent said to me: "I would trust what the teacher is telling me quicker than I will trust what a politician is telling me." That is the reality.