Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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513. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she has managed to achieve a resolution in respect of issues associated with junior certificate reform; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9295/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The full text of Dr Travers' proposal document is available on my Department's website. Both sides were asked to confirm whether they accepted or rejected this as a basis for agreement.

While the proposal put forward by Dr Travers requires significant further compromise on my part, I indicated to Dr Travers that I am prepared to accept it as a basis for agreement. In doing so I acknowledged his considerable effort at achieving a fair and reasonable compromise since being nominated for the role of independent chair by the two unions.

Under the proposal, teachers are no longer asked to assess their own students for the purpose of State certification. This is a very significant measure in addressing a previous core union concern.

In not suspending their industrial action, the unions have rejected the Travers proposal. I deeply regret that decision. The effect of their ongoing action is to seek to prevent teachers from participating in Continuing Professional Development that is available to give them the knowledge and support they need to do their jobs. I also regret that the Unions have taken this decision without balloting their wider members on what is a substantially new proposal. No one group can be allowed to exercise a veto on educational reform.

I intend to proceed with implementation of Junior Cycle reform, based on the Travers' proposal and I will be working with the wider education partners in doing so. I remain open to the unions revising their decision.