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Leah Farrell/Photocall Ireland
Two teachers unions have announced that a second one day strike will be staged in January in protest at changes to the Junior Cycle.
Stalemate
Teachers to protest outside school gates today against Junior Cert reforms
Only a nominal number of teachers have taken up the new teacher training.
TEACHERS WILL BE holding a lunchtime protest today against the Junior Cycle reforms due to be introduced this September.
Twenty seven thousand secondary teachers will take part in the demonstration outside schools across the country.
Classes will go on and it won’t impact on students.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan said that the initial changes will be implemented in September with the subject English.
Training snub
However, she revealed only a small percentage of teachers have completed the new training.
“Only a small number have gone to the training. A lot of them haven’t.”
She said the training has been offered to all teachers and it is also available online. O’Sullivan said she was very concerned the unions could be preventing teachers from improving their teaching.
“It is disappointing we still have action being taken by the unions instead of coming back to the table…We are not going to solve it outside the school gates, we’re going to solve it around a table.
Moving forward
The minister said independent compromised proposals were but forward by Dr Pauric Travers and she urged teachers to engage so “we can all move forward”.
“I have moved considerably, but I need some movement from the other side.”
She said that one group can not veto the reforms.
The General Secretary of the ASTI, Pat King told 98FM that students are entitled to an independent evaluation of their work.
He maintained that students should be assessed externally to protect standards, equity and quality.
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