The main purpose of this Bill is to establish on a statutory and, indeed, a permanent basis the National Board for Curriculum and Assessment. This Bill was first introduced in 1986 by Deputy Cooney, the then Minister for Education. I remember very well the general welcome from all sides of the House, particularly from the Opposition side at the time and from the Minister herself who was then spokesperson on Education in Opposition. She looked forward to the time when this board would be established on a permanent and statutory basis. They were so enthusiastic about carrying this out that it was incorporated in the Fianna Fáil manifesto of the February election. Here we are now having our spokesman introducing the Bill again as a Private Members' Bill and having the Minister, who was at that time so enthusiastic about its statutory establishment, speaking very vigorously against that idea. It is just another U-turn, or a head-over-heels somersault. It is not the first and I am sure will not be the last of such from this Government.
In advocating the setting up of the board on a statutory basis, it is useful to have a look at the excellent work done by its predecessor, the interim board that was established by Deputy Hussey in 1984 when she was Minister for Education. I should like to pay tribute to her for setting up the interim board at that time. They have proved themselves during their three years of existence. They have brought out many reports, have done excellent work and started a very important process in education. That tribute goes to the Minister who set it up at that time as a response to the need, perceived in educational circles, that major changes were necessary, both in curricular and assessment procedures in our schools.
Although many changes had occurred in the educational system since the sixties in terms of new subjects, materials, modes of pupil assessment, school organisation and structures, they were not sufficient to meet the demands made on the educational system by developments such as an increasing number of young people within the system, the new technologies, Ireland's active membership of the European Community, increased urbanisation, basic changes in industry, agriculture, business and the professions, changes in patterns of employment and the use of leisure time.
From the time of their establishment the Curriculum and Examinations Board set about examining how the education system should respond to the changing demands on Irish society. I should also like to pay tribute to the chairman and members of the board for the vigour with which they tackled the job in hand and also the members of the various subcommittees who participated and were involved in preparing and publishing so many reports.
The following are just some of the general achievements for the board over the past three years. They have gone a long way towards initiating and sustaining informal discussion on educational issues; they have promoted co-operation between educational institutions, educators and others concerned with the welfare of young people; they have supported the professionalism of teachers by recognising their role in the formulation of new curricular and assessment procedures for primary and second level schools; they have recognised the need to make fuller provision in the educational system for the diversity of needs in students; they have also analysed the examination system and have outlined a new framework for assessment and certification which incorporates the best elements of the existing system while extending the range and methodology of assessment so that more skills can be measured.
A number of major educational principles were recognised by Deputy Hussey when the terms of reference of the board were being drawn up. Among these were that the essence of curriculum development is teacher development. A new, unified assesment for the junior cycle of second level education was needed to replace the present intermediate and group certificate examinations. The aim of this was to ensure that all pupils would have available to them some certification of their achievements on reaching the end of the period of compulsory school attendance. It was stated that such a system should take account of the range of pupil abilities, should aim to involve all teachers as part of their professional work and should be flexible enough to allow schools, if they so wished, to devise alternative programmes that would be recognised by the national assessment system.
The Interim Curriculum and Examinations Board have over the last few years successfully initiated and promoted discussion and research on many educational principles by encouraging fundamental scrutiny and evaluation of the curriculum. Now that the preliminary stage of the board's work is over, it is absolutely inconceivable that the second stage of their work, namely detailed planning on the part of the various course committees of what is to be taught in our schools over the next decade and what assessment procedures are to be introduced, will now be limited because it is the intention of the present Minister for Education only to reconstitute the curriculum board as a non-statutory advisory council for curriculum and assessment. Over the past three years the Curriculum and Examinations Board have published a number of discussion papers and it is to these that I wish for a few minutes to direct my remarks and to the extensive work which has already been carried out by the board.
In their first document issued, Instructors in Education, the Curriculum and Examinations Board put forward a general statement of the aims of education as the basis for policy and action in the short term. They also provided a forum at which the Department of Education, teachers and professional educators could meet with representatives of these social agencies with an interest in education, so that together priorities could be identified and contributions made to the formulation of policy in education. The board also suggested a possible framework for the junior cycle in post primary schools. Recognising the need for a broad junior curriculum they presented the curriculum under eight categories and divided the categories between subjects or courses which would constitute a core curriculum and those which might be offered as additional contributions.
In the board's document, In Our Schools, the notion of a common core curriculum was approached from two essential and complimentary perspectives. The board recommended that the junior cycle curriculum of all schools should involve pupils in each of the following areas of experience: arts and education, guidance and counselling, language and literature, Irish, English and other languages, mathematical studies, physical education, religious education and science and technology while at the same time including the following four key elements of learning: knowledge, concepts, skills and attitudes.
The document recognises that many of the traditional subjects can and do contribute to more than one area of experience and that schools which may not have the resources to offer a large number of subjects or courses may nevertheless provide a wide range of experiences for their pupils by fully exploiting the potential of the subjects they are in a position to offer. This provides a challenge for those involved in syllabus construction. It also provides an administrative basis for co-ordination between different subjects of the curriculum at junior cycle and for continuity between the primary and post primary curriculum.
At senior post primary cycle the Curriculum and Examinations Board, recognising the need for a fundamental assessment of educational policy and provision because of changing social needs and employment trends, highlighted the need for a re-examination of the traditional definitions of and distinctions between general, technical and vocational education. The board have put forward the recommendation that senior cycle policies should be developed so as to promote consistency of approach across the range of courses both within schools and between the formal school system and the various training agencies. The board believe that the senior cycle should build on the achievements of the junior cycle and that the leaving certificate programme should continue to cater for the majority of senior cycle students in schools.
The programme however should be adopted to cater for the increasingly diverse needs of students and should include such areas as new technologies and elements such as social education, work experience and community experience. The transition year from vocational preparation and training courses and other such programmes already relate directly to the perceived needs of students. There is a need therefore to develop a relationship between these programmes and the leaving certificate. New modes of assessment should be examined in order to support and recognise such a relationship, to encourage the further exploitation of the potential of the existing subjects and to give credit for a wider range of student performance and achievements.
The board have not been idle in the very important field, indeed the most important field, of primary education. In November 1984 a primary review committee were established and their aims were to review the existing research on the primary school curriculum, to identify areas for further research and to propose initiatives, to identify problems and propose appropriate strategies for solving them. The review committee included teachers from primary and post primary schools in order to have continuity between the two sectors. The committee put forward many recommendations, the major one being a recognition that there is a need for an overall review of the primary curriculum. This should include a review of curriculum practice and a study of the background and principles underlying the entire primary school curriculum. The committee also recognised the need to eliminate sex stereotyping in schools and to make available adequate resources, including remedial facilities and educational psychological services so that children with learning difficulties could be adequately supported within the system.
Another important area that was examined and investigated by the interim board was the area of examinations and assessments. Educators have believed for many years that the disadvantages of the public examinations system greatly outweigh the advantages. Among the disadvantges generally quoted is that it is not suitable for all students because of its heavy reliance on memorisation. Many also believe that it exerts undue influence on schools, narrowing the scope for curricula and teaching methods. It does not recognise the role teachers should have in an examinations system and that it is usually carried out under artificial conditions in a very limited time frame. Therefore, it is not suitable for all students and can be extremely stressful for some. Any of us who have been associated with pupils undergoing or preparing for examinations or waiting for results are very much aware of the stress, trials and tribulations involved.
The board invited recommendations from all interested parties on what they thought were the necessary components of a relevant examinations system for students. In arriving at their recommendations the board have attempted to lay the foundation of a system of assessment which would overcome the defects of the present system without abandoning its beneficial aspects. It is the board's view that the assessment procedures should be derived from and be complementary to the curriculum. Assessment is thus inextricably bound up with the curriculum. Amongst the detailed recommendations which were made to the Minister on assessment and certification were: that, where feasible and desirable, assessment should be carried out over a period of time rather than be confined to a terminal examination — in other words, something like a continuous assessment, a system similar to those operating in other countries; that where appropriate, part of the assessment for public examinations should be school based; that provision should be made for in-service courses for teachers in assessment techniques; that courses for the award of certificates of general education should be offered up to three levels to be designated as follows: foundation, general and advanced and at each level four attainment grades should be awarded, the lowest being granted for a mere completion of the course.
The present Bill before the House which was introduced by our spokesperson on education, Deputy Hussey, proposes the establishment of the National Board for Curriculum and Assessment on a statutory basis. It is extremely important to have the newly constituted board on a statutory basis as it would give it a permanency and an independence to continue the excellent work which was initiated by its predecessor, as I have outlined. The Minister has already established her own board on a non-statutory basis contary to everything she has said while in Opposition and indeed what was in the Fianna Fáil manifesto.
A special relationship has been established between the Department of Education and the interim Curriculum and Examinations Board. This Bill would formulise the relationship through the requirement that the proposed board would be staffed by personnel from the Department of Education. The composition of the board as laid down in this Bill recognises the important part that teachers, school management and parents have to play in the education system. The knowledge and experience of other agencies will also be utilised through representation from social, economic, cultural and, I am glad to say, Irish language interests. Indeed I am delighted that this is incorporated in both Bills, mar sílim go bhfuil deacrachtaí speisialta i láthair na huaire chomh fada agus a théann múineadh na Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht agus taobh amuigh den Ghaeltacht. Tá a fhios againn go léir na deacrachtaí móra atá sa Ghaeltacht le téacsleabhair agus mar sin de. Is maith an rud go bhfuil role le himirt ag an mbord chomh fada agus a bhaineann sé le téacsleabhair, agus tá súil agam nuair a bheidh siad i gceann oibre go ndearcóidh siad isteach sa cheist seo, go ndéanfaidh siad é a scrúdú agus go mbeidh siad ábalta glacadh le moltaí ó mhúinteoirí agus ó dhaoine eile a bhfuil plé acu le oideachas trí Ghaeilge.
In 1986 the Curriculum and Examinations Board proposed that their policy on curriculum and assessment should be introduced in a phased programme over a five-year period. The introduction of the certificate of general education for all junior cycle pupils would be central to this programme. The five-year plan would also involve an examination of primary education. It is our duty as legislators to provide a curriculum that meets the needs of all our young people. The educational system should be responsive to the economic, cultural, social and technological needs of society. In this context a statutory national board for curriculum assessment has an essential role to play.
The time is ripe for curriculum change. The need is there, the ideas are there. Schools and teachers are in general receptive to and willing to implement curriculum innovation. It is no longer sufficient simply to identify and consider at a distance the various points that need to be gone into in considering curriculum reform. The necessary support both in terms of structure and resources must now be made available to enable the willingness which is there to be put to use. The proposed statutory national board for curriculum and assessment can provide a more representative and responsive structure for administering the national educational system while facilitating and promoting innovation within the system.
In conclusion, I believe this Bill gives the Minister an ideal opportunity of leaving a lasting impression on the educational process. She can do that by supporting the concept of this Bill, giving the board independence and a permanent status and allowing them to continue the excellent work that was carried out by the interim board. At present I am afraid the Minister is seen as one who has inflicted a number of severe body blows to the educational system, particularly in primary education and in the vocational and comprehensive sector of post-primary education. She is seen as the Minister who has reversed the process of lowering over the years the pupil-teacher ratio and now we are back to where we were in the early seventies in that regard. Does the Minister want to be remembered as the person who carried out these drastic decisions or will she not grasp the opportunity for establishing the board on a permanent statutory basis and thus be remembered by future generations as the person who accomplished and achieved this? If she does, then future generations of Irish people will be forever greatful to her.
Unfortunately, as matters stand at the moment we seem to be heading for the position where we will have neither a statutory nor a non-statutory curriculum and examinations board. There are new developments every day with teachers' unions and others withdrawing their consent and willingness, as Deputy Higgins said, to serve on the new board. It looks as if the Minister's actions and policies will leave us with no board whatsoever in spite of all the promises made in Opposition and all the undertakings given regarding education. They have all been forgotten and ignored and at present the whole teaching profession, the entire educational establishment, is in a deep state of severe shock. It seems to be the order of the day to disestablish and abolish every statutory independent board as, for example, An Foras Forbartha, the National Social Service Board and others.
We are anxious to have the National Curriculum and Examinations Board on a statutory basis so that the Government cannot abolish them at will at any time in the future if they do not agree with that board's recommendations. If the board come out with some report that is not entirely to the Government's liking the Government can abolish them if they are not on a statutory basis. That is the chief reason I believe this Private Members' Bill that has been introduced by our spokesperson deserves the support of the entire House.
