FOR the first time, the Department of Education has issued marking schemes for Leaving Certificate subjects to post-primary schools. The ASTI and the TUI have welcomed the release of the schemes for Leaving Certificate home economics (social and scientific) and Irish.

The Department of Education sent the schemes for the 1995 papers in both higher and ordinary papers to all post-primary schools last week. John White, assistant general secretary of the ASTI, says that the issuing of marking schemes has long been sought by the union and they would like to commend the Minister for Education.

"These guidelines will be of great assistance to schools in the teaching of pupils. It seems that the Department of Education has made a real attempt to convey information to teachers and that can only be good. Teachers will welcome these," he says. The Minister had made a commitment last November to make marking schemes available.

Rose Malone, education officer with the TUI, says that ideally teachers should be able to examine the marking schemes in conjunction with the chief examiners' reports.

The marking schemes are the documents which inform examiners of the marks to be allocated to the specific questions posed in the current year and outline the criteria to be followed in allocating those marks.

The Department stated that the publication will have the two-fold advantage of supplying teachers and schools with essential information on how papers are marked as well as providing the Department of Education with a "channel for valuable feedback which can be used in the further development and refinement of these schemes". A further set of schemes for additional subjects will be issued in the next few weeks.