Irish Vocational Education Association

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IVEA Welcomes Minister Quinn's Comments on Reform of Junior Cycle Education
20 October 2011
The Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA) today welcomed Minister Quinn's announcement at the NAPD conference that the reform of the Junior Certificate programme 'will be introduced on a phased basis, with full professional development for teachers … for the student cohort enrolling in first year in 2014 and being examined in 2017'.
IVEA General Secretary, Michael Moriarty says: 'This is very good news as phasing in this important reform will give schools and teachers the space to cope with the changes, thus ensuring that each change, as implemented, is properly embedded in the system. There is little point in implementing change that does not properly take root. The commitment to upskilling the teachers fully is absolutely critical to guaranteeing that this long-overdue change is made permanent'.
According to Mr Moriarty, the Minister's further announcement that students entering second level education, either next year or the year after, will not be restricted to taking eight subjects in the Junior Certificate and that this restriction will not now take effect until other elements of the new Junior Cycle Framework are in place, is also very much a step in the right direction and reflects the extent to which the Minister has taken note of concerns expressed to him about introducing this change too early in the reform process'.
While acknowledging that a key element in reforming the Junior Cycle must be the elimination of curriculum overload, Mr Moriarty noted that 'curriculum overload cannot be achieved by simply removing key areas of study from the Junior Cycle curriculum. We have to find a way of providing a coherent core curriculum that enables each young person to understand the world s/he lives in and to become a constructively active citizen in that world, while at the same time providing young people with a range of optional subjects from which they may choose those that most suit their aptitudes, interests and aspirations.'
The Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA) is the representative body for the 33 Vocational Educational Committees (VECs) in Ireland, and works to protect, promote and enhance the interests of vocational education and training within the wider education sector and the country at large.
VECs deliver a wide range of educational services, from managing Community National Schools, second-level schools and colleges, Post Leaving Certificate colleges (PLCs) and education centres to providing training programmes for Travellers, adult literacy courses, prisoner education services, Youthreach programmes, Vocational Training Opportunities Schemes, and community education programmes.
VEC PLCs have developed a range of programmes and courses in response to the needs of industry and commerce which are certified by FETAC at levels 3 to 6, and by the professional bodies which set standards for entry into the professions.
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