Sir, – Dr Raymond Lynch wants teachers to accept the responsibility for assessing students' work (January 22nd). They do, but not for purposes of external certification.
His panoply of “education experts” who have managed to impose their will on systems elsewhere in the world have brought about a cohort of teachers overwhelmed by litigation-proof, “get the boxes ticked” paperwork which takes up more time than preparing lessons. Moreover, teachers are subject to unspoken but very real pressure to “pull people through” in order to maintain or increase “bums on seats” to keep their subjects viable and protect their hours and jobs. Internal assessment always sounds fine when enunciated in the conference rooms and symposiums in the groves of academe, but staff rooms are full of teachers who rage against this excessive bean-counting and window-dressing. What the teachers’ unions are fighting for is nothing short of the integrity of second-level education in this country. – Yours, etc,
JOHN WHITE,
Arbour Hill, Dublin 7.
A chara,– Reform to get rid of rote learning is the latest mantra from the Department of Education. The Minister must believe that if she repeats this often enough we will finally believe her. – Is mise,
PAULINE UÍ ARGÁIN,
Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.