Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 April 2012
409 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he is considering the introduction of road safety education and awareness into the post-primary curriculum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19421/12]
View answerA Road Safety programme for Transition Year, has been developed by the Road Safety Authority in collaboration with my Department, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the Professional Development Service for Teachers and has been offered nationally as an option since September 2008, following a successful pilot in 2007/8. The programme is available in twenty hour and forty-five hour units. It features inputs from agencies such as the ambulance service, fire service and An Garda Síochána, as well as providing for visiting speakers, trips out of school, projects and case studies. The programme provides for an introduction to road safety for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and motorists, and covers such issues as seatbelts and airbags, driver fatigue, drink/drug driving, enforcement, basic first aid at road crashes, emergency services and rehabilitation. The programme is also supported by digital resources, including DVD support and access to international websites on road safety issues. Relevant Driver Theory Test learning is included at the end of each module. The programme does not include driving lessons. Under the revised Junior Cycle framework, schools will need to ensure that their students cover 24 Statements of Learning. One of the Statements of Learning is that the student should "take action to safeguard and promote their well-being and that of others". It is a matter for schools to determine how this might be implemented. It is, for example, open to schools to develop short courses at local level addressing this Statement of Learning including, should they so wish, curricular activities in relation to road safety. My Department will continue to work with the Road Safety Authority to strengthen the role of schools in promoting road safety even further
410 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on measures to reform the junior certificate curriculum; if he will also outline the timeframe for the overhaul of the junior certificate system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19420/12]
View answerImplementation of Junior Cycle Reform will begin from 2014 onwards. There are 24 Statements of Learning in the new Junior Cycle Framework. It will be a matter for schools to determine, from the range of subjects and short courses on offer, how these statements of learning will be met. Reform will be introduced on a phased basis. All of the existing subjects are being continued, and Irish (except where there is an exemption), English and Mathematics will remain core full subjects. To start with, a revised syllabus in English will be implemented as a first step in the process, for students beginning junior cycle in 2014, for first examination in 2017. Groups of subjects will be implemented on a phased basis each year after that. Schools will also have the option of providing locally developed short courses of 100 hours, supported by exemplars developed by the NCCA. A cap of 8 is being placed on the number of subjects which can be taken for examination purposes, to apply on a mandatory basis from the 2017 examination. Into the future, students will be able to take 8 subjects or 7 subjects with 2 short courses or 6 subjects and 4 short courses. Subjects will be assessed by means of a written examination set and marked by SEC, and a portfolio marked by the class teacher in the school, moderated by the school and subject to external moderation on a sample basis by SEC. Short course will be assessed in the school.
