Laois teachers to stage walk-out in ASTI & TUI protest

Laois secondary school teachers will stage a walk out at lunchtime on Tuesday in protest of changes to the senior cycle.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) have partnered with the Teacher's Union of Ireland (TUI) to stage this walk out, involving a combined total of 30,000 teachers.

The schools are calling for a delay to the changes within the senior cycle curriculum, which are due to begin in September of 2025.  The protest will take place at lunch time on Tuesday November 19, over the lunch period so classes may remain undisturbed.

Teachers across Ireland are opposed to these sudden changes, protesting the fast-paced redevelopment.

"This campaign is being driven by teachers in order to protect the standards and quality of the Irish education system," the unions declared in a joined statement.

"Our members will support change that is sufficiently resourced and is of educational benefit. Regrettably, our experience to date has cause for concern and has resulted in this campaign to seek a postponement".

The groups are calling for "comprehensive and fully informed in-service training" for teachers, 

Schools around the country staging a walkout to call for a delay to changes to the senior cycle.

In September of 2023, Minister for Education Norma Foley announced that the overhaul through the Senior Cycle Redevelopment programme would take place two years earlier than the 2027 date originally planned.

The new system has been accelerated to come into effect in 2025 through three stages, with each stage expected to take between 12 to 18 months to complete, with some overlap between stages.

Protests next Tuesday are held to fight this acceleration, calling for a delay in the implementation of changes to Senior Cycle education.