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RTÉ News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Behind the Story: Estonia's different approach to AI in education
One of the emerging concerns in education in recent times has been AI, particularly when it comes to assignment work and plagiarism. Spotting it is becoming increasingly difficult, according to many academics, while in secondary schools in Ireland, there are anecdotal reports from teachers about its misuse. As this technology develops, it will only get more difficult for those whose job it is to spot it in assignments. Last weekend, the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland voted to reject proposals aimed at reforming the Leaving Cert. The main concern for the majority of ASTI members was a lack of resources and capacity, according to General Secretary Kieran Christie. But another area of concern was project work and practicals that will be worth a minimum of 40% of a student's grade. The fear is that students could use AI for such projects, and it's not clear how that can be addressed. The Department of Education is finalising guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence in schools. It says this guidance will focus on AI in teaching and learning, and will come in addition to the Examinations Commission's advice on the technology when it comes to the Leaving and Junior Certificate. Ultimately, decisions on how it may or may not be used in Irish schools will come down to the Boards of Management at each one. But while Ireland grapples with how to police AI in the classroom, another EU nation is embracing it – and it's one of the continent's top performing places when it comes to learning. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation's (OECD) PISA tests, which examine education outcomes in 79 countries, Estonian students are top in Europe in math and science. They are also second in the EU when it comes to reading, only behind Ireland. From September, the country will roll out licences for artificial intelligence platforms to students aged 16 and 17, as well as teachers. The technology will be integrated into the learning process for all subjects, including physical education. Speaking to RTÉ's Behind the Story podcast, the country's education minister Krisinta Kallas said that AI is here to stay and that the country wants to harness it rather than discourage it. "We are worried that if we don't do anything, and if we don't do more supervised learning with AI, there will be a lot of unsupervised learning with AI anyway and that would be at the detriment of the skills and competences of the children." Ms Kallas said that it will be up to the teachers to determine how exactly it will be used. "I think the crucial thing with AI is not so much of regulating its use, because I don't think you can 100% regulate it, but it is rather making teachers competent in how AI operates, how AI impacts learning, and how it can be used to enhance the learning. "So the training of the teachers is absolutely key. You should not put all your trust in technology, you should put all your trust on teachers." The children will use tablets in school, but can use their AI accounts on their own private devices at home too. It is hoped that by giving it to all students and schools, there will be equality in its use in education with no socio-economic gaps. There has been no public pushback on the plan according to Ms Kallas. "It might be because our education has been relatively digitalised for a very long time. "We introduced the first digital tools into our education system 25 years ago, so there is a whole parents' generation who has grown up by using digital technology in schools so it hasn't really been an issue. "So the debate is mostly about how to use AI and what kind of learning it should enhance, and what would happen if we don't use it because maybe there is much more fear of missing out on learning skills if we don't do a nationally - organised programme on AI introduction. "If we just allow to go in a natural way as it is today, then students are using it for replacing their own learning rather than learning with an AI and that's a much bigger risk than trying to introduce AI in a more supervised and controlled way with teachers." "In that reality we need to redesign the whole learning process – what kind of assignments we give to students and what kind of learning we want to happen, and how the AI will be used by the students to enhance this learning." Mobile phones Unlike other countries in Europe, Estonia supports the use of mobile phones in schools. But Ms Kallas said teachers ultimately take autonomy in decisions when it comes to them. "We believe in a bottom-up approach when we allow schools to make those regulations," she said. "Mobile phones are used in class for learning purposes quite a lot in Estonia. "And also mobile phones in Estonia are used for all other things that you do in life. "The child needs to get the bus schedule to get home, needs to contact their parents, needs to figure out how to get to the sports club after school. "We do voting and other activities as citizens through our mobile phones. "It would be confusing for the younger generation that on one side we want them to vote online and use their phones to do their civic duty and on the other side we ban them from the school. "What we need to do is make them learn how to use the mobile phone for the right purposes."
RTÉ News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
ASTI calls for talks with department after Leaving Cert reform rejection
The ASTI has called for talks with the Department of Education following the rejection by its members of measures to support implementation of the Senior Cycle redevelopment programme from this September. Commenting on the comprehensive rejection by teachers' union members of the proposals, the union's General Secretary Kieran Christie said "we think there is scope for further engagement". Asked about the possibility of additional talks now Minister for Education Helen McEntee said Leaving Certificate reform will still go ahead this September and the package of measures that have been agreed will remain. The ASTI rejection, and its strength, has come as a surprise to many as 67% of members rejected the plans in a ballot that had a high turnout - 73% of members. Members also gave their union a mandate for action up to and including industrial action. A week earlier, Teachers Union of Ireland members voted to accept the measures. The TUI leadership had recommended acceptance, whereas the ASTI made no recommendation to its members. The ASTI rejection is a significant indication of the concern felt by teachers around aspects of the reform. What it will mean for the implementation of Senior Cycle reform is not as yet clear. The union's next steps have yet to be agreed upon. Its executive is due to meet in ten days time and, according to Mr Christie, will "be looking at the outcome of the ballot and considering a way forward". Mr Christie said there was "a need now for calm heads to prevail". Teacher concerns centre on Additional Assessment Components (ACCs), which will be worth 40% of all marks in a revamped senior cycle. The AACs will typically involve practical project work completed during the year, which will then be written up into a report and will then be assessed. Teacher concerns include the potential for students to use AI to cheat when writing these reports. There are also other concerns around equity. The science subjects are among the first to be revamped, starting this September for students entering 5th year. Biology teacher and member of the union's Executive Council Adrieanne Healy said teachers were looking for the changes to be paused for a year. Calling the introduction "rushed", she said while some private fee-charging schools had state-of-the-art science laboratories as well as lab technicians, many other schools had facilities of a far lower standard. She said teachers were concerned about the impact of this inequality on student outcomes. Commenting on teacher worries around the potential misuse of AI by students, in order to cheat, Ms Healy said teachers could not understand why a system with "100% integrity" was being replaced with one with only "60% integrity". Speaking later, the Minister for Education said reform of the Leaving Certificate will be an "absolute game changer" for students. "This is about equipping our young people for what is an ever-changing world. It's about taking our pressure off them, that absolute focus on exams at the end of the year and making sure we are testing their abilities, different skills, different requirements for people to move into the workforce," Helen McEntee said. She said acknowledged the ASTI statement but added "Leaving Cert reform will still go ahead this September". "All of the unions have signed up to this as part of the public sector pay agreement," she said.
The Journal
07-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Threat of industrial action in secondary schools as ASTI rejects Leaving Cert reform package
THE ASSOCIATION OF Secondary Teachers in Ireland have rejected measures aimed at enabling Leaving Cert reforms, and voted in favour of industrial action. ASTI members voted to reject the Senior Cycle Redevelopment – Implementation Support Measures' by 68% to 32%. The turnout was 73%. The reforms, which are due to be implemented this September, propose allocating a minimum of 40% of Leaving Cert marks to project work or practicals across all subjects in an effort to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of student's skills. But teachers have voiced concerns about how the moves will affect the way students are assessed and marked, especially in the context of the risk of students using artificial intelligence to complete assignments. In a separate ballot, the union voted by 67% to 33% in favour of industrial action, 'up to and including strike action', in opposition to the accelerated implementation of the Leaving Cert reforms. The union said the outcome points to 'a lack of confidence in the accelerated Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme as it is currently constituted'. ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie said the support measures on offer 'do little to provide a Senior Cycle experience for all students that addresses the core inequalities that are in place in the second-level system'. Advertisement He said ASTI research published this year shows that a key concern 'is the lack of resources and capacity in schools to introduce such radical change in an effective manner', along with developments in AI and insufficient teacher training in some subject areas. 'The support package available from the Department fails to sufficiently address these concerns,' he added. The ASTI said it will continue to be available to engage with the Minister for Education and her Department 'in relation to how these and other significant concerns can be addressed'. In a statement, Education Minister Helen McEntee said the support measures on offer followed 'positive engagement' between the Department and the ASTI, as well as the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI). Last week, TUI members voted by 73% to 27% to accept the supports package. The Department said that it will seek to engage with the TUI leadership in the coming days as it proceeds to implement the support measures. McEntee said ASTI members have committed to cooperating with Senior Cycle Redevelopment and had confirmed to Department officials that their members will teach the new and revised specifications from the next school year. She also said that the vote 'will not affect the implementation of targeted supports for students contained in the package'. 'As I confirmed in April, the implementation of the programme will continue with the introduction of the first tranche of new and revised Leaving Certificate subjects in September 2025 as previously announced. 'The package of additional supports contains a number of significant measures aimed at supporting students directly. I am absolutely committed to delivering on those measures as we proceed with implementation of this programme.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Threat of industrial action in secondary schools as ASTI rejects Leaving Cert reforms
Members of Ireland's largest teaching union have voted to reject proposals to enable Leaving Cert reforms, and have also endorsed industrial action. The ASTI ballot rejected proposals to adopt new support measures for the largest changes to the Leaving Cert in a hundred years – due to be implemented this September. The union rejected the Department of Education proposal by a margin of 68% to 32%, raising the prospect of industrial action this autumn. The support measures had already been endorsed by the other major secondary teaching union, the TUI. In a statement, the union's general secretary Kieran Christie said that the vote shows that second level teachers 'have real and significant concerns' regarding the senior cycle overhaul programme. He said that a key concern is a perceived lack of resources to aid teachers in implementing the new programme, which would see a minimum of 40% of marks at Leaving Cert level delivered by project work. Teachers had expressed concerns as to how those reforms are to be effectively implemented, and how the growing challenge of Artificial Intelligence is to be handled, with the unions arguing that insufficient time had been given towards easing the transition to the new format. Mr Christie said that the supports offered by the Department of Education, which included a commitment to early reviews of the implementation of the new reforms and the creation of specific posts of responsibility to support that implementation, 'do little to provide a senior cycle experience for all students that addresses the core inequalities that are in place in the second-level system'. Minister for Education Helen McEntee said she had noted the result of the ASTI's vote, but said that, given the ASTI's members had previously committed to cooperating with senior cycle redevelopment that the reforms would 'continue as planned'. 'The implementation of the programme will continue with the introduction of the first tranche of new and revised Leaving Certificate subjects in September 2025 as previously announced,' the Minister said, adding that engagement with the TUI will ensue in the coming days for the implementation of the support measures that the ASTI has now rejected. Last April, both the ASTI and TUI served warning of potential industrial action should the then-ongoing engagement with the Government regarding the controversial new reforms not reach an acceptable conclusion.
RTÉ News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
ASTI members reject Leaving Cert reforms
ASTI members have voted to reject proposals aimed at enabling Leaving Cert reforms, and have also endorsed industrial action. They voted by more than two thirds to reject the document, Senior Cycle Redevelopment – Implementation Support Measures. With a turnout of 73%, 68% voted against the proposals and 32% voted in favour. In a separate ballot, ASTI members voted by 67% to 33% in favour of industrial action, up to and including strike action, if necessary, in opposition to the accelerated implementation of the reforms. Turnout in that vote was slightly lower at 70%. The ASTI said that the results point to "a lack of confidence in the accelerated Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme as it is currently constituted". Members had, the ASTI said in a statement, delivered "a resounding rejection of the package of implementation support measures on offer from the Department of Education". General Secretary Kieran Christie said that "second-level teachers have real and significant concerns" about the implementation of the proposals. Research the union conducted "shows that a key concern is the lack of resources and capacity in schools", he added. "Furthermore, the supports on offer do little to provide a Senior Cycle experience for all students that addresses the core inequalities that are in place in the second-level system. "The ASTI research also finds that the majority of second-level teachers are concerned about developments in AI, authentication of Additional Assessment Components, and insufficient teacher training in some subject areas. The support package available from the Department fails to sufficiently address these concerns." The ASTI said that it "will continue to be available to engage with the Minister for Education and Youth and her Department in relation to how these and other significant concerns can be addressed".
