Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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1. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the junior cycle reform; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45454/14]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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This is to ask the Minister for an update on the reform of the junior cycle, particularly in light of the fact that a teachers' strike is imminent on 2 December.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I have met with the teacher unions five times since my appointment as Minister. Three of these meetings were solely to deal with issues relating to implementation of reforms to the junior cycle. I agreed to Dr. Pauric Travers chairing negotiations between the Department and the unions, and I also agreed to both the timeframe and terms of reference for those talks which were proposed by the unions.

On 10 November, I presented a compromise proposal that included a State certificate for all students on completion of the junior cycle; final examinations in third year to account for 60% of junior cycle marks, to be set and marked by the State Examinations Commission, SEC, and 40% relating to other components to be assessed by classroom teachers within agreed criteria - for this 40%, the State Examinations Commission would check 10% to 15 % of the marks to ensure consistency and fairness; and well-being to become a compulsory element of junior cycle, including SPHE, PE and CSPE.

I thank Deputy McConalogue for his support for my position, which I believe represents a reasonable compromise relating to the implementation of these reforms. The unions did not accept this proposal but acknowledged that it was significant. At a meeting on 19 November between myself and the unions, there was again little movement by the unions. The teacher unions have decided to strike on 2 December, with a further event being proposed for January. I have said publicly, and will repeat again here today, that this is disappointing, and I believe it to be a disproportionate response to the compromise proposals which remain on the table.

I urge both unions to reconsider their position and re-engage in talks rather than proceeding with a strike that serves no one's interests.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for her response. I welcomed the Minister's row-back on the need for the junior certificate to continue to be a State certified examination and for 60% of the final examination to be externally assessed. I had been calling for that for more than two years, as had others, but the former Minister, Deputy Quinn, was not in listening mode throughout the three years in which he held the post the Minister now holds. Unfortunately, the situation we now find ourselves in is that the document and what the Minister has announced, which is rowing back the position the former Minister, Deputy Quinn, had adopted, goes back to the original proposals put together by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, which were on the table even before the former Minister, Deputy Quinn, came to office. That has been the contributing factor to us finding ourselves in strike action, having previously been in a situation where there was industrial dispute.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Thank you.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Issues remain regarding the 40% in-school assessment and project work that need to be discussed with the concerns. They still have genuine concerns, as they had until now.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I will let you back in, Deputy.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister's position is that she will only talk to them if they accept at the outset that there will be 60% outside assessment and 40% inside assessment. That is a barrier to real negotiations and getting down to the nitty-gritty, which can lead to a resolution. Will the Minister go back to the talks, do a real assessment of the remaining issues, and try to come to an agreement which will see a reformed and enhanced junior certificate programme?

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Before we proceed, I would ask Deputies to watch the clock. That is the reason it is there.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I thank the Deputy. I have listened to the concerns I have heard since I became Minister. I have had a number of meetings with all the interests involved. That is the reason I put the proposal on the table. One could say I have moved 60% from the position originally balloted on. Significantly, and the Deputy referred to it, the certificate will now be a State certificate, fully certified by the State Examinations Commission. It will not be 60% certified but 100% certified, including the school-based assessment.

Negotiation involves movement on both sides. We had Dr. Travers chairing discussions. I have moved, but I need to see some movement on the other side. My door is open. I am willing to engage again, but there has to be some response in terms of the central principle that assessment within the schools with class teachers involved must be part of the reform. Otherwise, we will not achieve many of the goals we want to achieve in this reform process.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister's response to the decision of teachers to strike, and I have called on teachers to call off the strike and engage with her, also requires her leaving the door properly ajar for discussions with them. Rather than being a progression, the Minister's U-turn, which brings us back to where we started, and her corresponding stance that any talks are dependent on the unions agreeing to 40% of the final examination being internally assessed, to which the teachers have a principal objection, makes those talks impractical in the sense that it has put teachers in the position where they have not been able to engage with her. For this issue to progress, the Minister must sit down and tease out the genuine concerns to allow a final agreement be reached, which will see a reformed curriculum put in place that is workable and will greatly improve the way students engage and learn at junior certificate level. I urge the Minister to do that because striking is unnecessary, and I believe the approach taken by the Minister has led to it.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I am willing to talk to the teachers but they have told me that they object in principle to school-based assessment, and school-based assessment is part of the proposal.

If they are not willing to come back to the table and engage in any way in respect of school-based assessment with participation by class teachers, then they have not moved at all. As I said already, in any negotiation there must be movement on both sides. The movement I have put on the table represents a considerable change from what was balloted on by the members of the two unions concerned.