John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Aontaím leis an Aire go bhfuil chuile dhuine den tuairim go bhfuil gá le hathchóiriú ar chóras na hardteistiméireachta. I agree there is universal acceptance among all parties and partners in education of the need to reform the leaving certificate and introduce a new senior cycle, in particular one that, as the Minister says, would assess skills development and develop critical thinking rather than just content knowledge. We all welcome that, but there is no doubt there is still some concern among teachers in particular, but not solely among them, as there is also concern among parents and pupils about the accelerated implementation.

I very much welcome the information from the Minister tonight that the sample examination papers are to be published tomorrow, because that will help to ease some of the concern. Concerns remain that 40% of the overall grade will be for additional assessment components. Teachers are still worried about how the work will be authenticated as being sincere and genuine.

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