MINISTER FOR Education Ruairí Quinn is to press ahead with radical reform of the Junior Cert, with a remodelled exam being rolled out “as soon as possible”.
The Minister believes the exam is “no longer suitable as the main form of student assessment in lower-secondary education’’ and must be changed, his spokesperson confirmed last night.
The revamped Junior Cert will see 55,000 students taking far fewer subjects – and an end to the current system where a dozen subjects are routinely examined.
Education sources say the new Minister also wants the exam to put a new stress on problem-solving, rather than the traditional rote learning.
Last month Mr Quinn said students should be examined on what they know rather than what they remember.
He is also likely to back more continuous assessment by teachers of their own pupils and a new stress on building oral skills in languages.
The main second-level teacher union last night backed Junior Cert reform. Pat King, general secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland said; “We are very concerned about the decline in standards. When it comes to educational reform we are up for it, provided the necessary support structures and funding is in place.”
But Mr King also cautioned that more continuous assessment could damage public confidence in the integrity of the revamped exam. Reform of the Junior Cert is a key element in a package of measures proposed by the Minister, all designed to address declining standards in Irish education.
Earlier this week an European Commission report raised further questions about the quality of the Irish education system. It said the number of low achievers in reading, maths and science had increased from 11 per cent in 2000 to 17 per cent in 2009.
Last year the OECD ranked Ireland as average or below average in literacy, science and maths.
Last night a spokesperson for the Minister said students needed more active learning opportunities that promote real understanding, creativity and innovation.
“The junior cycle experience needs to link much more smoothly with the experience of young people at primary level so that students make a successful transfer to post-primary education.
“It is the Minister’s belief that the Junior Cert exam . . . has a serious, negative backwash effect on students’ learning and is out of line with international practice.’’
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment will shortly table a final series of proposals on Junior Cert reform. Many of these will be incorporated into Mr Quinn’s own proposals which are expected to be published around September.