Teacher talks resume over junior cycle reforms

Talks resumed this morning between teacher unions and the department of education aimed at averting a third day of strike action over junior cycle reforms.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) have held two one-day strikes over the plan for teachers to assess their own students as part of the new Junior Cycle Student Award (JCSA).

Representatives of the two unions and department officials held talks last Thursday for close to eight hours.

A full day of talks is scheduled again today as the two sides try to hammer out a compromise.

Speaking in advance of talks, Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan said she would call again on the teacher unions not to engage in further strike action “in so far as it doesn’t get us anywhere”.

However, she said, "the talks are ongoing, which is positive. We have an excellent chair in Dr Padraic Travers and I don't want to say anything in the intervening period... to in any way jeopardise progress that we might make."

As well as threatening further strike action, secondary teachers are refusing to cooperate with the roll-out of the new JCSA curriculum, including planned short courses in subjects such as computer coding and Chinese language.