Vol. 509 No. 3
43 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on the argument of ASTI that the secondary system is staggering under the weight of change; and if he is rescheduling his review of the junior certificate in order to facilitate participation by that union. [20017/99]
Curriculum change is always necessary to reflect relevance, new knowledge and skills, technological and societal changes. A rolling review of syllabus content is the most effective way of incorporating the necessary changes in subject syllabi.
I believe that the changes in various syllabi and curricular programmes that are being introduced in recent years are necessary in order to ensure the relevance and quality of the education provided to students at second level. Curricular and syllabus changes are introduced on a phased basis with significant in-career support for teachers provided by my Department. The ASTI has played an important role within the NCCA and at council level in the introduction of all syllabus change and in programme development.
The review by the NCCA of the junior certificate has been ongoing since 1996. As part of this review process my Department in conjunction with NCCA wishes to engage in a wide-ranging consultation process on the junior certificate curriculum and its assessment. Meetings between officials of my Department and the ASTI have been arranged to discuss the concerns they have expressed in relation to the consultative process with schools.
