Young Fine Gael Donegal chairman Aaron Sweeney has called on the Minister for Education to meet with the teachers unions and listen to concerns raised.
Mr Sweeney said he has written to the minister this week urging her to meet with the unions to discuss junior certificate reform and hopefully avoid a strike on December 2nd.
He added “However I do believe junior cert reform is long overdue and I fully support the proposed changes to the junior cert. I would have loved that my work in first and second year could make up a proportion of my final junior cert mark. A lot of students would feel the same. As well as the minister listening to teachers, the teachers must listen to the students as well.
“I understand that teachers need clarity on the issue as well do the parents and future junior cert students. But the main aim here is clearly the best possible education that the young people of Ireland truly deserve. I don’t see how striking will get anyone anywhere. It’s just a day of education lost. The unions have to see that the only outcome of these strikes is damage to education itself. I am currently in my leaving cert year and each day we are reminded how important time is to us in school.”
He added that we now face the prospect of missing two days of education in the most important school year of our lives.
“The minister and the unions have to act equally to prevent this from happening. But they most also be willing to compromise for the benefit of the education of Irelands young people.
“They must not lose track of what is needed here and that is a top education. What the minister has proposed is what our students deserve and hopefully our teachers will eventually see that. The young people of Ireland deserve nothing but the best and hopefully that’s what can be achieved.’’
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