Second-level teachers will hold lunchtime protests next Tuesday to call for a delay in the implementation of changes to Senior Cycle education.
The demonstrations, in which teacher unions say more than 30,000 of their members will participate, are in response to a decision to accelerate Senior Cycle redevelopment plans.
They will take place outside schools and other centres where Leaving Certificate programmes are taught and will not affect students or teaching.
They have been called by the Association of Secondary Teachers' Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) who say teachers are gravely concerned that aspects of the plans pose a threat to education standards, fairness and quality.
In a statement the two unions said: "This campaign is being driven by teachers in order to protect the standards and quality of the Irish education system. Our members will support change that is sufficiently resourced and is of educational benefit. Regrettably, our experience to date has cause for concern and has resulted in this campaign to seek a postponement".
The unions say teachers are not opposed to the redevelopment of the Senior Cycle. But they say sufficient resources need to be provided, and equitably across all schools and centres.
They also say any changes to subjects should not be rushed through, should be of educational benefit, and should be based on the professional views of teachers.
The unions are also calling for "comprehensive and fully informed in-service training" for all teachers.
The unions are not calling for the postponement of the new pilot subjects Drama, Film, and Theatre Studies and Climate Action and Sustainable Development, which are being supported with additional resources and allocation for those schools involved.
Revised programmes
If all goes according to plan, the next five years will see a complete overhaul of Senior Cycle education here with several new subjects and modules on offer in schools and with every single existing subject completely overhauled. The major change will be the inclusion of in-year assessment components for every subject.
Two months ago, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) published revised curriculums for nine existing Senior Cycle subjects, including Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Business, to be introduced in schools in September of next year for students entering 5th year.
In a shift away from an over-reliance on the June Leaving Certificate written exams, each of the newly revised subjects will have an assessment component - for projects completed over the course of a school year - worth at least 40% of overall marks.
A new Transition Year Programme Statement and a new Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) specification for Senior Cycle have also been published, as well as entirely new progammes for some students with special educational needs for whom existing Leaving Certificate programmes are not suitable.
The NCCA continues to work on a second tranche of subject and module revisions planned for introduction in schools in September 2026. There are seven Leaving Certificate subjects and modules in this tranche, including English.
Three further tranches of subjects, involving 26 subjects, are scheduled to undergo revision for introduction in schools in 2027, 2028, and 2029.
