Leaving Cert reforms to press ahead this year despite union opposition

Leaving Cert reform plans, which will mean students awarded more marks for project work and less for written exams, will proceed in September, Minister for Education Helen McEntee has told teaching unions.

Second-level teachers’ unions, who have called for a delay to the plans amid concerns over equity, fairness and exam integrity, expressed disappointment at the Minister’s decision.

Ms McEntee’s intervention comes in advance of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) annual Easter conferences, which will be dominated by calls for members to refuse to co-operate with the changes and for reforms to be postponed for up to two years.

In a joint statement on Tuesday evening, the two unions said they will consider the development, consult and “respond in due course”.

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They said the Minister has issued an invitation for intensive talks, while engagement with the department has been going on since last November following a protest by 30,000 second-level teachers expressing concern about the redeveloped programme.

Science teachers, in particular, have said schools are not ready to implement the changes.

According to union sources, industrial action seems unlikely, given mixed views among subject teachers over the impact of the reforms and a requirement in the current pay deal for teachers to co-operate with the reforms.

Under the changes, which begin to roll out across a range of subjects for students starting fifth year in September, a minimum of 40 per cent will be awarded for work outside written exams, such as projects, research, practicals or oral exams.

These senior cycle reforms are aimed at easing the stress facing students in the traditional high-stakes Leaving Cert written exams and providing a broader assessment of students’ skills and competencies.

Biology, physics and chemistry are among the first subjects to be reformed, while others will follow over the coming years.

In meetings with the ASTI and TUI on Tuesday, Ms McEntee confirmed the reforms will proceed as planned in September and has invited unions to engage in “intensive talks to address specific additional measures” which can be taken to support teachers, schools and students to implement the changes.

On Wednesday, meanwhile, the State Examinations Commission will publish sample exam papers for teachers – two higher level papers, two ordinary level papers – for the newly introduced Leaving Cert subjects. They will offer teachers and students a first glimpse of what the new assessments will look like.

In the Dáil on Tuesday evening, the Minister is expected to say she believes proceeding with the changes is in the best interest of the more than 73,000 students entering fifth year in September, many thousands of whom would have already made their subject decisions for the upcoming school year.

While Ms McEntee says the current Leaving Cert has served students well, she will say we must continue to ensure our education system “equips students with the skills they need in today’s ever-changing society”.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Education said Leaving Cert reform was central to this change.

“The upcoming talks are an opportunity now to ensure teachers and schools receive additional supports to roll out leaving certificate reform,” she said.

“The Minister looks forward to continuing to work with the ASTI and TUI to ensure that they, and their students, are supported.”

From September, Leaving Cert students will be able to avail of updated curricula for chemistry, biology, physics, business, Arabic, Ancient Greek and Latin.

Senior cycle students will be required to complete research investigations from fifth year onwards in subjects such as physics, biology and chemistry.

Science teachers say many of their schools are ill-equipped for the changes due to a lack of access to laboratories and the absence of laboratory technicians in most schools, as well as access to equipment.

A department spokeswoman said €12 million in funding has been provided to schools to fund the equipment to roll out the new curriculum for science subjects from September.