Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on what is an exceptionally important issue. Any proposals by Government to alter aspects of the education system can have far-reaching effects, not only for the individuals concerned but also for society at large. This is because education at the level of the individual has the power to expand or contract a person's imagination. At the societal level, a country's education system is perhaps one of the most important mechanisms by which systems of governance, compliance and conformity are produced.

More importantly education is a key mechanism through which life chances are produced and determined. One's level of educational attainment is a key factor in determining future well-being in terms of employment, income, health, housing and access to life chances. It is now an accepted fact that education systems reproduce societal norms in terms of power, socioeconomic status, and the allocation of privilege and poverty. Therefore, if we are to embark on the task of modernising the Irish education system, which essentially is what reform of the junior cycle is all about, we must first address the question of what we hope to achieve by such reform.

The Government, through the Department of Education and Skills, has set out its stall on this matter. In its mission statement, the Department clearly states the aim of the proposed changes to the junior cycle is to enable learners achieve their full potential and contribute to Ireland's economic, social and cultural development.

Sinn Féin is generally supportive of the proposed measures and we welcome reform of the junior cycle which, in our view, is long overdue.

Moreover, we endorse the Department's mission statement and we share its view that education must primarily be about two connected and interlocking aims. These are the development of a person's creative and intellectual potential according to his or her ability and the development of Ireland's capacity in economic, social and cultural terms. These are laudable aims. However, it must be stated at the outset that both of these aspirations are contingent upon important issues to do with opportunity, structures, imagination and vision. For example, with regard to opportunity, it is now an accepted fact that early intervention plays a crucial role in determining pupil performance at first and second levels. It goes without saying that what happens at second level has considerable influence on whether or not students go on to third level and, indeed, on their subsequent ability to progress and compete in that arena.

With regard to structures, it is also acknowledged internationally that different structures will produce different outcomes. For example, if an education system is conservative and hierarchical in nature, then it is almost certain that it will reproduce the same values, hierarchies, exclusions and world view that are embedded within the original system. However, creating an education system that is flexible, open, liberal and based on values such as social solidarity, democracy, equality and fairness, and not only about economic development, although this is important too, requires imagination and vision.

If we see our schools as the workshops in which citizens and society are moulded and shaped then it is incumbent upon us to implement reforms which will go some way to addressing the deficiencies which are clearly evident in the current system. Thus, while Sinn Féin supports reform of the junior cycle, we have a number of key concerns which must be addressed if any such reform is to produce meaningful and successful outcomes. For example, we are extremely concerned by the alarming drop in Ireland's global ranking in the areas of literacy and numeracy. Evidence of this is found in the fact that in the ten-year period from the late 1990s, the country's ranking fell from 15th to 25th in mathematics and from fifth place to 17th in reading. There are many reasons for this dramatic drop in standards. These include funding, access to resources, a drop in standards in teacher training colleges, over generous marking in third level institutions, and the lack of rigorous and stringent oversight of acceptable standards of education at second and third levels. Given this context of an alarming drop in standards, any proposals for reform of the junior cycle must take on board and grapple with this reality. It is simply not good enough to turn a blind eye to this and to attempt to implement certain reforms while at the same time ignoring this significant issue.

Children who cannot read or add are at a serious disadvantage in terms of their personal development but also in terms of their ability to access life chances at some time in the future. Teachers with limited literacy and numeracy skills cannot pass on to their students knowledge that they themselves do not possess. With this in mind, Sinn Féin would argue strongly that any reform of the junior cycle must take this situation into account. Proposals for reform must be part of an overall strategy that has at its core a central focus on improving standards across the entire system in terms of literacy and numeracy.

Clearly the austerity measures which are currently being pursued by the Government work against any initiatives that would attempt to improve standards. Simply put, one cannot cut educational budgets, resources to disadvantaged children, funding to schools, special needs teachers, resource teachers etc., and expect mere paper reforms to produce an education system that is fit for purpose in a modern state.

It is, nonetheless, important to acknowledge that the document, Towards A Framework for Junior Cycle, contains many valuable suggestions that in and of themselves go some way to dramatically improving the junior certificate cycle.

With regard to the finer details of the proposals, Sinn Féin welcomes the move away from terminal examination to continuous assessment. This is in keeping with international best practice and, hopefully, will enhance student experience and support learning and enhanced achievements for students.

While we welcome references to the Finnish education model we nonetheless caution against an over reliance on this system of education. Ireland is not Finland in terms of our dominant value system, political outlook and institutional history. For example, we have no history of entrenched liberalism within the State apparatus, particularly when it comes to social policy. Moreover, we also lack at this juncture a shared vision of what Irish society, now and in the future, should look like in terms of social and economic organisation.

If any reform is to be successful, Sinn Féin would urge the Minister and his Department to engage with the teacher's unions and with other relevant stake holders.

We also ask the Minister to think again about any plans to change the status of history and geography at second level. These are key subjects that deserve to maintain their core status. After all, if we as a people do not understand our past, how are we ever expected to make sense of our current situation or to plan for the future? Likewise, if we have no sense of place or no understanding of where we fit in to a globalised world, then our imaginations and world view become increasingly myopic and insular.

Sinn Féin welcomes the Minister's proposals. However, we urge him to give serious consideration to the concerns I have outlined.

See this speech in context