Business group Ibec has strongly criticised the use of pickets at teacher training centres to obstruct the roll-out of the new junior cycle programme.
The organisation's head of education policy, Tony Donohoe, said: "It is understandable that any education reform will raise concerns and prompt debate.
“However this type of heavy-handed industrial action is entirely inappropriate, particularly from the representatives of a profession that is, in itself, dedicated to teaching and learning.”
He was speaking as picketing continued on Tuesday at education centres in Leitrim, Laois and Kerry, where English teachers had been invited to continuing professional development (CPD) to prepare for the new junior cycle curriculum.
Similar pickets took place in Monaghan and Sligo on Monday, and the protests turn to Ennis, Co Clare and Navan, Co Meath on Wednesday. Only a handful of non-unionised teachers were said to have crossed the picket lines to date.
It the first time the ASTI and TUI, the two unions representing 27,000 secondary teachers have picketed education centres, and Minister for Education Jan O'Sullivan said the move "sits uneasily" with the unions' commitment to knowledge and learning.
However, the ASTI and TUI issued a joint statement at their annual conferences last week urging members to “hold firm“ in their industrial action.
English is the first subject to come under the new junior cycle programme, and its teachers have been allocated up to 16 days CPD as the reforms are rolled out over several years.
Along with management bodies, parents and students representatives, Ibec has been a strong supporter of the junior cycle reforms.
Mr Donohoe said: “International experts, such as the OECD, have pointed out that teacher-based judgements allow certain student skills to be measured that are difficult to capture in a standardised test.
“Irish teachers, more accustomed to ‘teaching-to-the test‘ need support in terms of professional development and training in new assessment techniques. This is the type of support being offered by the teacher training centres which are being picketed.
“The case for reform is overwhelming and is supported by parents, second level students, school principals, business and international experts. It is too important to be derailed by misguided industrial action which shows no regard for the quality of our education system,” he said.
However, the teacher unions say that the move away from external assessment of students will lead to a decline in standards and undermine the credibility of the new junior cycle award.
