Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the news that talks are ongoing between ASTI and the Government through the Teachers Conciliation Council, which will, hopefully, conclude this week and will be put to a ballot of some description involving ASTI members. I do not want to jinx anything so I just welcome the fact that talks are ongoing, seem to be going reasonably well and are progressing. The strikes were based on pay equality for new teachers while the days on which schools were closed were based on the withdrawal from supervision and substitution. There is another issue that ASTI has an issue with, namely, junior certificate reform. Junior cycle reform has much to commend it in terms of short courses, an element of well-being that was not there previously, eight key skills, 24 statements of learning and an emphasis on literacy and numeracy, to which Senator Byrne referred earlier when she said our numeracy seems to be improving, which is to be welcomed.The former Minister, Ruairí Quinn, wanted to get rid of external assessment, and now there will be an element of external assessment.

There is a significant issue with ASTI members dealing with classroom-based assessment and having to formally assess their own pupils. Many people regard it as being more difficult to be objective when dealing with their own pupils as they live in the same community and see them every day. The idea the leaving certificate is the first real external assessment a pupil gets will create extra pressure, which is unnecessary and unwelcome.

I ask the Leader to bring in the Minister for Education and Skills to explain where he is on junior cycle reform. At present, some pupils in schools are doing classroom-based assessment but ASTI members are not and therefore there is a disparity between one group and another. I call for the Minister to come to the House.