Changes to junior cycle education

Sir, – If the Minister for Education goes ahead with his plan to abolish the national, externally assessed Junior Cert examination, will another educational chief inspector be needed in 10 years to point out that Ruairí Quinn’s proposed system of school-based, teacher-assessed exams will lead to consistent and widespread breaches of policy, no meaningful evidence of consistent quality management, no training and no clear policy guidelines? Surely it is better to have an exam system based on what you know rather than one based on who you know. Teachers have good reason to be fearful both for themselves and for their students. – Yours, etc,

JOE COY,

Kilbannon,

Tuam,

Co Galway.