CHATTERBOX

The talk of the conferences

ON TWITTER

Jaysus, just listening to the reaction Quinn got at the #INTO conference this morning. Gonna be a tough week for him methinks!! @langobrien

Ruairí Quinn SURELY KNEW that making a party political broadcast for YES vote to the #ASTI conf could only increase the NO vote – what gives? @culturefatwa

Am reading #asti and #into and #tui tweets and how hard it all is. V diligent to take time out of holidays to attend. Presume it packed. @Thinkofaname

I’m sure there must be some sensible realistic teachers but they aren’t at the ASTI conference that’s for sure! @mariamulvany

If teachers in the #asti withdraw from #CrokePark strike if their allowances are cut, there’ll be the mother of all backlashes @FintanCox

ON BOARDS.IE

By the time I have kids, they’ll probably only be teaching Irish and religion while still being some of the highest paid teachers on the planet. The vast majority of spending goes into wages. So if there isn’t money to hire more, blame the ASTIs of this world. Because they created this system, with help from FF.

Rojomcdojo, boards.ie

A study commissioned by the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland finds that 64 per cent of schools are considering dropping one or more Leaving Cert subjects, allegedly due to budget cuts.

RTÉ news reports that the subjects most likely to be axed are physics, chemistry, economics, accounting, and foreign languages. Not coincidentally, these are subjects that could be considered vital to fostering an economic recovery. For instance, Ireland’s significant pharmaceuticals industry could be directly impacted if students do not have the option to study chemistry.

However, this strikes me as a thinly veiled attempt at orchestrated extortion by the teachers’ unions. In short, “If you’re going to cut our budgets, we’re going to cut the subjects most conducive to economic growth.”

They seem to be trying to scare people, politicians, and industry leaders into opposing further cuts – a completely disingenuous stance when 80 per cent of the education budget goes toward paying Irish teachers’ world-beating wages.

Ireland performed significantly better on Pisa 2000 than on Pisa 2009. So, what exactly did we get for all those extra billions pumped into education between 2000 and 2008? Wealthier teachers?

Permabear, boards.ie

Considering that the vast, vast bulk of the money pumped into education in the last decade has been directed not into facilities or materials, but teachers’ pockets, I would take any talk of cuts forcing subject withdrawal . . . with significant scepticism. TBH, it reads far more like blatant greed and another attempt to use children as a weapon; a tactic of which the ASTI are no strangers.

Lemming, boards.ie