Minister Foley 'taken aback' after ASTI pulls out of Leaving Cert planning talks The union has said that the plans from the department would not provide a “meaningful Leaving Certificate” for students. By Rónán Duffy Thursday 11 Feb 2021, 9:02 PM Feb 11th 2021, 6:38 PM 54,703 Views 181 Comments Image: Laura Hutton/Rollingnews.ie Updated Feb 11th 2021, 9:02 PM THE ASSOCIATION OF Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) has withdrawn from talks on the 2021 Leaving Cert as the plan being developed by the Department of Education would not provide a “meaningful Leaving Certificate” for students. The union had entered into discussions after the Minister for Education last week announced that officials were preparing for a twin-track approach to plan for both the traditional Leaving Cert and a “corresponding measure”.