THE TEACHERS’ UNION of Ireland (TUI) will ballot its members on industrial action if fears over the new system of Junior Cycle education are not addressed by government in the new year.
Their concerns over the reforms, due to be implemented in September, relate to the ‘integrity of proposed assessment methods’ and the possibility that schools will not be able to accommodate the increased workload required by the curriculum.
Members will be balloted ‘to secure agreement not to co-operate with the implementation of the proposed reform’ if the union’s concerns are not met by government after a meeting with a Department of Education Working Group on January 17th.
‘Concrete details’
Union president Gerard Craughwell said that the Department has ‘failed to provide concrete details’ of how the reforms will be implemented, and that members will be balloted ‘without delay’ if these are not provided at the meeting of the Working Group.
The TUI represents almost 15,000 post-primary schools teachers across Ireland.
The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland have also raised concerns over the new curriculum.
Assistant General Secretary Moira Leydon previously told TheJournal.ie that it will be a “revolutionary change” and that “teachers aren’t convinced that the best way forward is to do away entirely with the current system”.
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