ASTI - Ireland's main second level teachers union

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ASTI President Brendan Broderick has sent a message of congratulations to all of the students, teachers and parents involved in this year’s Junior Certificate examinations.

 

“The Junior Cert gives students their first experience of the state examination process and is invaluable in guiding them as they prepare for Senior Cycle and the Leaving Cert,” said Mr Broderick. “The Junior Cert is seen as a highly credible, transparent and objective state exam and as such it plays a pivotal role in helping young people become independent learners who set and reach their own educational goals.”

 

The ASTI President said that while the union favours reform of the Junior Cert, such reform must be about improving the learning experience for students while ensuring the continuing relevance of the exam: “Reform for the sake of reform, or even worse, reform for the sake of cutting costs, would be detrimental.”

 

Brendan Broderick said the ASTI is extremely concerned that reform of the Junior Cert will not be properly funded: “The recent education cuts, coupled with the fact that Irish second-level schools have always been under-resourced, mean that teachers are hugely sceptical about Junior Cert reform. They need to be convinced that this reform will be properly funded.”

 

Maths

The ASTI welcomes the fact that Junior Cert students studying Project Maths are significantly more likely to take Higher Level than those taking the old syllabus. The new syllabus has been piloted in 24 second-level schools and was examined at Junior Cert level for the first time this year.

 

“This is promising,” commented Brendan Broderick. “However, the key issue in relation to the teaching and learning maths in second-level schools remains the same – large class sizes. Students in a class with 25 or 30 other teenagers have little opportunity to have one-to-one interaction with their teacher. Not having sufficient one-to-one time with the maths teacher increases a student’s risk of falling behind.”

 

Finally the ASTI President urged all students celebrating their Junior Cert results to act responsibly: “Your parents and teachers are proud of you, but we also want you to be safe.”

 

Ends