Teachers could engage in industrial action, up to and including strikes, if their concerns about reform of several Leaving Certificate subjects are not addressed, the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) has warned.
Padraig Curley, the new ASTI president, said many teachers fear students could use artificial intelligence (AI) to produce projects that will be graded as part of their overall results.
Leaving Cert reforms will see at least 40 per cent of marks allocated to course work across several subjects including biology, chemistry, physics and business.
The new rules will impact incoming fifth years from September, meaning the new grading system for seven current subjects and two new subjects (drama film and theatre studies, and climate action and sustainable development) will be applied in the 2027 exams.
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Mr Curley said teachers are “extremely annoyed” their concerns about AI have not been addressed. He said many teachers may not wish to sign off on projects they believe were aided by AI, but will be afraid not to in case they face legal action from parents whose children subsequently get a lower grade and do not secure the college course they want.
In April, ASTI members passed a motion at the union’s annual conference calling for indemnification against any such legal cases. The ASTI represents more than 20,000 teachers nationwide.
“If I say that a project is done by AI, you’re not going to be happy. Your parents are certainly not going to be happy – and being unhappy is an understatement,” Mr Curley said. “You could report me to the Teaching Council and you could actually sue me.”
On science subjects, Mr Curley said students’ projects could be adversely affected by the wide variation in the quality of labs in different schools.
“Even in the same town, never mind city, you’re going to have one school that might be five years old and is a beautiful school with a very, very good lab. It might even have two labs. Then you look in the same town and there’ll be a school built in the 1960s with one lab and no proper infrastructure.”
If these concerns are not addressed, Mr Curley said, teachers may vote for industrial action up to and including strikes.
“I certainly think they could. No teacher wants to take industrial action . . . but they’re not being respected and they’re not being listened to.”
In June, ASTI members voted by a margin of 68 per cent to 32 per cent to reject as inadequate support measures put in place ahead of the reforms coming into effect.
In May, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) voted by a margin of 73 per cent to 27 per cent to accept the measures but expressed some misgivings.
TUI general secretary Michael Gillespie said his union, which represents more than 20,000 teachers and lecturers, has been engaging with the Department of Education over the summer to set up working groups to address their concerns.
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Mr Gillespie said that “in an ideal world” the reforms would have been delayed by a year so schools could better prepare, particularly in relation to science subjects.
“We’re still a bit unclear about the level of equipment that might be needed for the additional components of assessment, and does every school have the equipment.”
Mr Gillespie said the deal they have struck with the department includes “rapid reviews” so, if their members “see that there’s something wrong or not working right”, the issue will be urgently addressed.
Speaking on AI concerns and potential legal cases, Mr Gillespie said “protections for teachers” will “absolutely” be “built in” to plans moving forward.
If commitments set out in the agreement are not met by the department, he said, the TUI will ballot its members on industrial action.
“Delaying the implementation of Senior Cycle Redevelopment is not in students’ best interests,” the Department of Education said in a statement.
It said the redevelopment has been in progress for nine years, following “extensive consultation”, and students entering fifth year in the coming weeks “deserve access to modern, relevant learning”.
The department said “a dedicated task force is being established to guide the appropriate use of AI in teaching, learning and assessment”.
This task force will include stakeholders from unions, management bodies, Oide (a department-funded support service for teachers), the State Examinations Commission and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.
“Clear guidance is already in place for referencing AI-generated material, with further updates to follow,” the department said.
A “robust package” of supports, including grants, is in place to ensure schools and teachers are fully equipped to deliver the reforms of science assessments.
“Since 2020, nearly 300 new or upgraded science labs have been delivered,” the department added.
