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

Fianna Fáil has always been a proponent of trying to reform the junior certificate curriculum and make it one that better serves students' needs. Before this Minister's tenure, when the former Minister, Deputy Quinn, was in the Department, there was a report on his table on foot of widespread consultation conducted under the auspices of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment that involved teachers, the Department and various management partners. Essentially, it included everyone with a stake in it and that proposal and report was available as a basis on which to proceed with reform. However, the former Minister, Deputy Quinn, thought he knew better and the Government thought it alone had the wisdom as to how the education system should be reformed. He arrogantly proceeded with a completely different proposal, which did away altogether with the State examination element of the junior certificate and making it a school certificate. Basically, the former Minister gave teachers an option to take it or leave it. Subsequently, when this Minister came to power, she reverted back to the proposals in the initial report that had been on the desk of the former Minister, Deputy Quinn, and, again, she issued an ultimatum to teachers to take it or leave it. As matters stand, with only three or four months left at most in the Government's term, the Minister has been left with it and junior certificate reform at present is in a less healthy position than when the Government came to office four and a half years ago.

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