SECONDARY school teachers have been criticised for taking part in strike action that left 350,000 students in the Republic locked out of their classrooms yesterday. Teachers picketed schools across the state as they staged their second one-day strike in protest over plans to reform the Junior Cycle examination system that would leave them marking 40 per cent of their students' tests.
The National Parents' Council (NPC) said the strike was unfair on students, particularly those studying for their Leaving Certificate examinations and facing mock and oral
exams in the coming weeks. NPC spokesman Don Myers called for parents to be involved in any talks between the Department of Education and the two teachers' unions.
The Association of
Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) represent around 27,000 members across the south. The Republic's education minister Jan O'Sullivan yesterday said the strike was unwarranted and disproportionate while the unions have claimed that concern over students is at the heart of teachers' opposition to the reforms. New talks are due to begin next week aimed at resolving the dispute as teachers threaten that they may hold a third day of strike action if agreement is not reached.
Ms O'Sullivan said her department would engage in the talks process in a "constructive manner".