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

I thank the Minister of State for his response. My party agrees that reform of the junior certificate can improve it. To this end, we undertook a wide-ranging consultation when last in government. It was designed to make proposals on reforming the junior certificate. When the NCCA put them before the Minister, Deputy Quinn, he changed them significantly. Since then, he has failed to engage with and consult teachers properly, a key flaw in his approach to the issue.

At the recent ASTI conference, which I attended, its president, Mr. Gerry Breslin, stated: "What has most shocked teachers is not the content of the Minister's Framework, nor the imminent implementation deadlines, but the fact that teachers' views were not sought on key aspects of the Framework". The teaching profession is concerned by the Minister's decision to do away with oversight of national examination, as this ensures consistency in how examinations are conducted at the end of the junior cycle. According to international experience, this approach has led to an erosion of quality.

Why has the Minister not consulted adequately or significantly? Does the teaching profession not deserve to be consulted and included, given the fact that its members will be the key actors in delivering this change?

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