MINISTER'S ADDRESS:MINISTER for Education Ruairí Quinn hopes to roll out a remodelled Junior Cert in September of next year as part of a programme of education reform.
Addressing the Association of Secretary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) conference yesterday he said: “We have all – myself included – been codding ourselves about our education system being the best in the world. That ain’t true anymore. But we can get back to having one of the best education services in the world.’’
He said last year’s OECD study – which indicated a sharp decline in literacy and numeracy standards among Irish 15-year-olds – had underlined the key fact: “We cannot afford to leave things as they are – they must change.”
The Minister will shortly receive proposals for change from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. While the process of change would be challenging for all parties, he hoped to begin the process of implementation by next year as “time is not on our side”.
At present, he said significant numbers of Junior Cert students are not developing the skills they need to learn, to live and to work.
“The current Junior Certificate will not meet the needs of future cohorts of students. It is out of line with international practice and no longer suitable.”
Asked about the likely shape of the new Junior Cert, Mr Quinn envisaged it would be a mix of a new exam, in which people had trust, and more continuous assessment.
On education funding, the Minister refused to give any indication of the extent of forthcoming cuts in the €9 billion education budget. He told delegates: “I am not going to pretend that those resources can be improved, that earlier decisions can be reversed or that further difficult measures can be avoided.”
In the coming weeks, he said, his department will be inviting the ASTI, along with the other relevant partners, to work on identifying budget savings. While the Government is committed to protecting frontline education services to the greatest extent possible, he said, the challenge of doing so against rising enrolment was not to be underestimated.
Mr Quinn also stressed his personal commitment to the concept of public service and to the role of the public servant in the life of this country. “This is not a time for confrontation but rather of working together.”
On fee-paying schools, he said he had no plans to change current funding arrangements where the State provides a €100 million subsidy. He also said he would examine a demand by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland for an audit of enrolment policies in all schools. The TUI has accused some fee-paying schools of excluding special needs and other pupils.
Asked about Lord Puttnam’s comments on the state of school buildings, the Minister accepted his criticisms. The state of the school infrastructure – with so many prefabs – underlined the skewed priorities of the last government, he said.
On exam reform, he said students have to be provided with more active learning opportunities that promote real understanding, creativity and innovation.
The Minister said computer-literate students who acquire information in a number of different ways have to “power down” when they come to school and confront a curriculum in need of modernisation.
Mr Quinn said reducing the number of Junior Cert subjects or recasting what students study would not be enough.
“If we are to encourage the sort of learning that we want our young people to engage in at junior cycle, it is clear that we need significant change to the ways in which we document and assess the learning that they achieve.
“I believe standardised tests of literacy and numeracy could play an important role in helping schools to ensure students’ acquisition of these basic skills.”