Junior cycle English dispute
Deputy Byrne asked about the fallback position for junior certificate English students if the ASTI rejected the deal. The Minister said lengthy negotiations had produced proposals to resolve the junior cycle dispute and that the Government would wait for the ballot result before acting.
There is a ballot under way within the ASTI and I am not going to get into it. However, there an issue with junior certificate English, which is a part of that ballot. As things currently stand, Government policy is that if the ASTI membership rejects the offer that is on the table, junior certificate English students in ASTI schools this year will automatically lose 10% of their marks. That is not really putting the best interest of the children first. I know the Minister, Deputy Zappone, is present too. What is the fallback position for those students? What comfort can the Minister give those students that they will not be penalised in their junior certificate English this year?
Comment on this
As the Deputy recognised, in the course of very lengthy negotiations between all of the teacher unions, we have come forward with a set of proposals that include resolving the long-running dispute in the junior cycle. That vote is under way and I am not going to seek to influence it. We have indicated in the past the approach that could be taken and that has been taken in respect of junior certificate English. Let us wait and see the result of the ASTI ballot. We will act on the back of that.