The report that the Government is considering abolishing the Junior Certificate exam just to save money is alarming. While abolishing the exam will save €30 million each year, this decision could have a tremendous cost on the quality of education for our young people, said Castlebar town councillor Harry Barrett.
“Minister Batt O’Keeffe has stated that he wants to reform the Junior Certificate so that more of an emphasis is put on continuous assessment and project work. This is an aim which I support, but there is a proper way to do this. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment is currently reviewing the exam and any decision on its future should be made in light of their findings.
“The primary school syllabus has been overhauled significantly in recent years but many in the education sector complain that once a child enters secondary school, the focus falls on to rote learning. In that regard, reforming the curriculum and the examination process is long overdue.
“If the Junior Cert exam is to be abolished it needs to be replaced with something better. At the moment, there are no thought out proposals as to what to replace it with,” said Cllr Barrett.
“The Junior Cert is an important qualification for young people and it is important that its reputation is not tarnished until agreed reforms can be made.”
