Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the House for giving me this opportunity to discuss the issues arising from the report on the framework for junior cycle. I appreciate the input from Members on all sides of the House. This is a significant change for our education system, our teachers and principals and most importantly, our young people. For the reasons outlined, I believe the proposed changes are necessary, appropriate and timely. This is not a rushed change and is not a cost saving measure. It is about changing the way in which learning happens in our schools. It is about providing a framework with the principles, skills and statements of learning, building on from learning in the primary schools. This framework will be implemented across all schools. Moreover, there is a flexibility available within the framework that will give individual schools greater autonomy to meet the needs of their students. Existing subjects will be retained, including history and geography. It is about listening to students who have long been calling for such a change. I acknowledge there will be challenges in implementation and Deputies speaking today have raised some of them. While I do not wish to minimise the potential difficulties, I know this change is necessary and must happen. I reiterate that necessary funds will be made available to support this change and that this is not a cost-cutting exercise.

I am heartened by the support of parents and students. I note industry sources also have welcomed the change and IBEC commented "If done right, this could prove to be the most important education reform of recent years". It presents a real opportunity to move away from the dominance of rote learning and support the development of critical thinking. Business needs employees with the capacity to analyse, communicate, be creative, manage information and work with others. The new curriculum should provide an opportunity to develop such attributes and skills from an early age.

This is an important change and is one that is supported fully by research. I realise that teacher unions are concerned about some aspects of the change and their worries have been raised by some Deputies in this Chamber today. I reassure Members that I believe this change will liberate teachers from the straitjacket which is the current junior certificate. The junior certificate is no longer a high-stakes examination and treating it as such has had a profoundly negative backlash effect on teaching and learning. We simply cannot allow this to continue. Some reference has been made to the position in England, where the baccalaureate is to be introduced. The Irish education system is not a mirror image of the English system.

The positions are quite different. The GCSE is designed as a terminal school examination for many students and in the United Kingdom students must choose after completing the GCSE to follow either a vocational or academic route. Our students progress to a common senior cycle, with approximately 90% of Irish students remaining in school until the end of the senior cycle.

There has been criticism from some that the change is taking too long. The process has taken a long time but this is a deliberate policy decision as doing it right requires thinking carefully about implementation. We also need to structure implementation in a way that is commensurate with capacity in the system to cope with change; we should be aware that this is a big change for all the stakeholders in education, including students, parents, teachers, school management and society as a whole. It is vital that we get this right.

Schools and their teachers will have the support of the junior cycle continuing professional development team, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the State Examination Commission as we transition from the current system to implementation of the framework. Consultation will be a significant part of implementation and the Department of Education and Skills will consult with key partners throughout the phased implementation period. The evidence tells us this change is necessary and we need to get to work as soon as possible.

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