Two exams in Junior Cert science are to be set in June next year after talks on the operation of a new syllabus broke down without agreement.
The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, is to press ahead with a new course, despite concerns raised by the ASTI and some school managers about the state of some school laboratories.
Schools can opt into the new course, but they can also opt to continue teaching the old course. Both courses will be examined as from June of next year until the situation is resolved.
It is understood that the Department is offering a range of schemes to help upgrade school labs. These include:
About 250 schools, said by the Department to require modest levels of work, will receive about €3,500 per year.
More than 400 schools will be entitled to apply for grants of up to €8,000 to help upgrade facilities.
Other schools where labs are in a poor state of repair will be given a priority status for building work.
Both the ASTI and the Joint Management Body, which manages most secondary schools, have said the schools are not ready to teach the new three-year syllabus.
The new course has a strong practical component, and some 35 per cent of the marks are for continuous assessment projects.
The old course, which concentrates on written work, has been much criticised. It has been cited as one of the reasons why students are turning away from science subjects.
The recent report of the Task Force on Science recommended that a new, more modern course should be implemented without delay.
Meanwhile, the Fine Gael education spokeswoman, Ms Olwyn Enright, has criticised the Minister "for forcing through the new Junior Certificate science syllabus.
"Everyone accepts and indeed welcomes the new syllabus, particularly as it has a greater emphasis on the practical side of the sciences, but insufficient resources mean that schools are not in a position to start the syllabus from this September," she said.
"Schools are closing for the summer and teachers have not been provided with in-service training for the new course. On top of this, the new syllabus requires students to perform and write up reports on 30 mandatory experiments but many schools are not in a position to teach these experiments because they do not have adequate science laboratories. As a result students attending more modern schools will have a much greater advantage in the subject."
She called on the Minister to delay implementation for one year "so that all students are given an equal chance."