The result of a ballot of secondary teachers unions on Junior Cycle reform will be announced at the end of September.

The Central Executive of the ASTI is due to meet next Saturday to discuss its recommendation to members.

Both the TUI and the ASTI have agreed to ballot their combined 27,000 members who work at more than 700 second-level schools, but it is unclear what position their respective executives will take.

Senior union officials defended the delay when speaking to Newstalk Lunchtime today.

Diarmuid De Paor, Deputy General Secretary of the ASTI, said:

“Things weren’t finalised until this summer, there was quite a lot to be done. The bones of it were agreed in late May, early June but certainly didn’t give us time to have information meetings, to get out information to members and have a ballot.”