Teachers to stage protest to push for delay in LC reforms

Second level teachers will protest outside schools at lunchtime to push for a delay to Leaving Certificate reforms they say risk undermining educational standards and fairness for students.

The demonstrations, in which teacher unions say more than 30,000 of their members will participate in, are in response to a decision to accelerate plans for a complete overhaul of Senior Cycle education here.

Under the redevelopment programme, the next five years will see the introduction of several completely new subjects and modules, and the revamping of all existing subjects to include non-exam-based assessment components worth at least 40% of overall marks.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) say teachers are concerned that the changes will lead to inequities between schools because of a lack of adequate facilities and resources in many.

The unions are calling for a delay to implementation of the redevelopment programme so that their concerns can be addressed.

Today’s lunchtime protests, which are due to take place outside all schools or centres where Leaving Certificate programmes are delivered, will not affect classes for students or other student activities.

The unions say teachers are not opposed to redevelopment of senior cycle programmes. But they say it is vital that sufficient resources are allocated equitably across all schools and centres; that any changes to subjects/specifications are not rushed through, are of educational benefit to students, and are based on the professional views of the teachers who deliver the programmes.

They are also calling for "comprehensive and fully informed in-service training [for] all teachers well in advance of implementation".

TUI President David Waters said: "Today, we are highlighting our serious concerns about the rapid nature of Senior Cycle redevelopment and the significant negative educational impact that may ensue for tens of thousands of students."

"Teachers are not opposed to the redevelopment of the Senior Cycle. However, to be successful, it must be educationally sound and the appropriate resources must be made available."

ASTI President Donal Cremin said: "Teachers are committed to curriculum change that promotes equity in education, responds to changes in wider society and protects education standards."

However he said the decision to accelerate the redevelopment process "has led to huge concerns amongst teachers about hastily developed curriculum and a failure to put in the resources students and teachers require prior to implementation".

The unions are not calling for the postponement of the new pilot subjects Drama, Film, and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development which are being rolled out from next September.

Two months ago, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) published revised curriculums for nine existing Senior Cycle subjects, including Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Business, to be introduced in schools in September of next year for students entering 5th year.

Each of the newly revised subjects will have an assessment component - for projects completed over the course of a school year - worth at least 40% of overall marks.

The NCCA continues to work on a second tranche of subject and module revisions planned for introduction in schools in September 2026. There are seven Leaving Certificate subjects and modules in this tranche, including English.

Three further tranches of subjects, involving 26 subjects, are scheduled to undergo revision for introduction in schools in 2027, 2028, and 2029.

Earlier this year, Minister for Education Norma Foley said the changes to assessment were designed to ensure that teaching and learning was not focused on "a narrow set of competencies associated with written examinations".

She said they would ensure that students are rewarded for developing and demonstrating different skills, and would also reduce the stress many students experience arising from the June Leaving Certificate examinations.

A new Transition Year Programme Statement and a new Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) specification for Senior Cycle have also been published, as well as entirely new progammes for some students with special educational needs for whom existing Leaving Certificate programmes are not suitable.