MONDAY, MAY 15, 1978
NEW SYSTEM TO REPLACE JUNIOR CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION EXAMINATION ******
THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, MR. COLVYN HAYE, ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT THERE WOULD BE NO FULL-SCALE FORMAL PUBLIC EXAMINATION AT THE END OF THE JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION COURSE IN FORM 3.
THERE WOULD BE A UNIFORM SYSTEM OF CERTIFICATION VALIDATED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT INSTEAD, BASED ON INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS OF A RANGE OF SUBJECTS COMMONLY TAUGHT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, CAREFULLY SCALED BY A TEST OF LANGUAGE AND NUMBER.
INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS WOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF SCHOOLS, AND THE SCALING OF THOSE ASSESSMENTS WOULD BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF HIS DEPARTMENT, MR. HAYE SAID.
ALL CHILDREN COMPLETING FORM 3 IN THE NEW SYSTEM WOULD RECEIVE A JUNIOR CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION, THE FIRST PART OF WHICH WOULD RELATE TO ACHIEVEMENT IN A RANGE OF SUBJECTS, AND THE SECOND PART TO THE PERSONALITY, POTENTIAL AND EXTRACURRICULA INTERESTS OF PUPILS. THESE ARRANGEMENTS WOULD APPLY TO ALL PRIMARY 6 LEAVERS WHO ENTER SECONDARY SCHOOLS THIS YEAR TO COMPLETE A THREE-YEAR JUNIOR SECONDARY COURSE IN 1981.
MR. HAYE SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT DECISION TO SCRAP A FULL- SCALE PUBLIC EXAMINATION AT FORM 3 HAD BEEN TAKEN AS A RESULT OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF TWO WORKING PARTIES IN THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, PUBLIC REACTION TO THEIR REPORTS, REFERENCE TO ALL THE MAJOR SCHOOL COUNCILS, AND THE ADVICE OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
THE SYSTEM TO REPLACE THE EXAMINATION HAD BEEN DRAWN FROM WIDELY REPRESENTATIVE PROFESSIONAL OPINION IN SCHOOLS AND THE DEPART- MENT, AND IT HAD BEEN SIMILARLY ENDORSED BY A NUMBER OF SCHOOL COUNCILS AND AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY IN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
MR. HAYE SAID THAT HE HAD TODAY CIRCULARISED ALL SCHOOLS WITH DETAILS OF THE NEW SYSTEM BECAUSE IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT ALL PUPILS, PARENTS AND SCHOOLS CONCERNED SHOULD HAVE EARLY NOTICE OF ARRANGE- MENTS WHICH WOULD AFFECT THE JUNIOR SECONDARY EDUCATION COURSE COMMENCING IN SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR.
IN A PERSONAL LETTER TO ALL HEADS OF SCHOOLS, MR. HAYE HAD STRESSED THAT SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT WOULD BE PLACED ON THEIR ASSESSMENT OF A RANGE OF COMMONLY TAUGHT SUBJECTS WHICH SHOULD PROVIDE PUPILS WITH A BROAD BASE ON WHICH TO PROCEED WITH THEIR STUDIES IN SCHOOLS, TECHNICAL INSTITUTIONS CR ELSEWHERE, THE DEPARTMENT WOULD BE PARTICULARLY VIGILANT IN MONITORING SCHOOLS TO ENSURE THAT THERE WAS NO DELIBERATE DISTORTION OF CURRICULA AND TIME-TABLES TO THE NEGLECT OF CULTURAL AND PRACTICAL SUBJECTS.
/UR. HAYE