Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 591: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the pressures on laboratory time from the increased number of compulsory experiments due to changes in the junior certificate curriculum, which means that in reality pupils lose out on class time as the teacher must tidy up after experiments; and her proposals to introduce laboratory technicians in larger schools to alleviate this problem. [5695/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Student practical work has been a major feature of science syllabi at both junior and senior cycle levels for many years and science teachers have long experience of carrying out programmes of practical work with their students. Traditionally, this practical work has been assessed through the medium of a written paper in the certificate examinations.

The revised junior certificate science syllabus introduced in 2003 differs from the previous syllabus in a number of ways which are intended to make the subject more relevant to students' needs in the 21st century, and to provide the students with a richer educational experience. The change that is most relevant in the context of the Deputy's question is that the students' practical work will now be directly assessed as part of the junior certificate examination. This assessment will be based on the completion of a total of some 30 practical activities that are specified in the syllabus. In addition, students will carry out either one or two short practical projects which will also contribute to the practical assessment. Further assessment of practical work will continue to take place through the medium of the written paper as heretofore.

The provision of technical assistants was one the recommendations in the report of the task force on the physical sciences. Using costs as they were in 2002, the task force estimated its proposals to cost a total of approximately €244 million. Of this, €66.3 million would be a recurring annual cost. The proposal for the provision of technical assistants would account for approximately 30% of this recurring annual cost. Progress has been made on implementing approximately two thirds of the task force's recommendations. My Department continues to progress the recommendations, as resources permit, in collaboration and consultation with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Forfás and industry.