Meetings were tightly controlled and members had very limited opportunity to introduce relevant research reports or copies of international curriculum materials for discussion.
The Irish Science Teachers’ Association (ISTA) also has concerns about the 2024 public consultation carried out by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA).
Members of the above science groups were not given access to the public consultation submissions while the groups were meeting.
A short summary was circulated approximately three weeks after the final meetings had been held.
A member of the ISTA subsequently had to use a Freedom of Information request to obtain access to the 20 submissions that had been made in the public consultation.
At this stage, the curriculum specification had already been finalised.
Those developing a curriculum should be able to examine consultation evidence before the curriculum specification is finalised.
The concerns across several subjects raise wider questions about governance, transparency, quality assurance, and the extent to which practising teachers, subject specialists, and academics can influence curriculum development.
The ISTA supports our colleagues in mathematics in their efforts to ensure the development of curricula of international standard for our students.
We also support the call for an independent international review of NCCA curriculum design and development procedures and that the rollout of further reformed Senior Cycle curriculum specifications should be suspended while an independent external review is undertaken and any necessary changes are made.
Patrick O'Donnell, Scoil Phobail Sliabh Luachra, Rathmore, Co Kerry, ISTA chairperson, Killarney, Co Kerry UN Security Council failures I have spoken with several UN colleagues who were in Rwanda at the time of the massacre there, and one in particular with whom I worked closely, so would have reasonable good information on the genocide committed there.
The failure of politicians/diplomats to act on reports of General Romeo Dallaire, the commander of UN forces there, and provide appropriate support may well have prevented this genocide.
The same can be said for the Srebrenica massacre.
Those of us who were in the Balkans at the time were aware of the efforts by UN administration to seek appropriate support that may have prevented the massacre.
I feel history will eventually reveal who the real “war criminals” are in these cases — like the invasion of Iraq.
Unfortunately history is now being repeated in Gaza and the West Bank.
The United Nations has been accused of many....
