Vol. 406 No. 4
16 Mr. J. Higgins asked the Minister for Education if, in the light of last week's decision by the secondary school managers and the Teachers Union of Ireland to withdraw from inservice training courses for the junior certificate, she proposes entering into dialogue with all the parties involved with a view to establishing immediate satisfactory inservice modules; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
137 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education her views on whether the inservice provision for teachers engaged in teaching in junior certificate is adequate, given the recently announced decision of the Teachers Union of Ireland and the Joint Managerial Body for Secondary Schools to withdraw from these courses due to their inadequacy.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 137 together.
I, and my Department are in constant communication with representatives of school management bodies and teachers' unions on inservice training and on matters affecting second level education generally. They have made me aware of dissatisfaction with some aspects of the recent one day junior certificate inservice course, mainly of an organisational and presentational nature.
To date four one day courses have been held. While acknowledging that some difficulties affected the recent one day course, it is fair to say that these courses generally have been very successful. I am confident that further discussion with these bodies will lead to a better approach.
In regard to inservice training generally — the Deputy will be aware of this because I referred to it at a recent function he attended — the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, in conjunction with my Department has commissioned a consultancy report on inservice training whose interim report I expect to have in a matter of weeks and their final report perhaps in two months time.
This report will deal with primary and post-primary education and will cover such areas as evaluation of current inservice education, identification of the nature and extent of future inservice education and the institutional arrangements and modes of delivery of inservice education.
The Programme for Economic and Social Progress acknowledges the importance of inservice training and provides for additional funds of £500,000 in 1992 and £1 million in 1993 for this purpose.
Funding for inservice for 1991 is £750,000 million, three times the amount allocated in 1987.
Is the Minister not aware that the joint managerial body and the Teachers Union of Ireland have jointly described the inservice courses as a shambles; that both of them have pulled out of these inservice courses and that, in this House on 4 December last, the Minister said there would be examination of oral——
Quotations are not in order at Question Time. That has been a long standing precedent. Quotations are not in order from any source.
There is no assessment, no examination courses, no examination papers——
The Deputy is imparting information rather than seeking it.
That is all false.
Furthermore, does the Minister agree that her indecision in relation to assessment has led to a total shambles?
The Deputy will have to answer the assessment matter for the unions.
Another committee.
