Teacher's pet

An insider's guide to education

“Taxigate’’ - as the expenses controversy at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) has already been labelled – is not over yet.

It appears Prof Kieran Byrne (right) is set to challenge that decision by the WIT board to refuse him a second term - even though he was nominated by a selection committee earlier this year.

Last week, Byrne was always on the back foot after those revelations about €139,000 on taxis and couriers, the €134,000 on fine art and close to €300,000 in hospitality. Minister for Educaiton, Ruairí Quinn and department secretary general Brigid McManus were briefed on the affair last Tuesday just before details became public. Their judgement? Byrne had to go. Said one senior figure: “The idea of Byrne or his crew being chauffered back and forth to Dublin really sticks in the craw.’’

The problem was that neither the department nor the Higher Education Authority could interfere in the appointments process. But the WIT board was left in no doubt about what the minister wanted.

On Wednesday of last week , Byrne was asked to fall on his sword during a meeting with a senior education official. But he was still digging in.

More behind the scenes contacts are underway this week to persuade Byrne that he should drop all this talk of a legal challenge. Some in the education sector would relish a legal challenge, seeing it as an opportunity to expose the “culture of entitlement’’ in some third-level colleges. The question now? Are there more Taxigate-like scandals lurking in other third-level colleges?

Peter McMenamin, the head of the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) should be counting down to his retirement later this year in a relaxed, freewheeling way.

Instead, he has been beset by controversy. First, there was that U-turn on the Croke Park deal – McMenamin helped to negotiate the deal but then rowed back. Next, those embarrassing revelations about a junket to Bangkok. And now that controversy about his refusal to take a cut in his €150,000 salary.

Small wonder McMenamin feels that some dark forces in the TUI are targeting him.

At last! An honorary doctorate for someone who actually deserves one. RTÉ’s Seán O’Rourke, presenter of the outstanding News at One and The Week In Politics, is to be honoured with a Doctorate in Law from NUI Galway next month.

Now why can’t all recipients be as deserving?

When The Irish Timespublished a list of the Top 100 best-paid in education earlier this year there were predictable howls of outrage from some of the fatcats in education – many earning over €150,000 per annum.

Happily, the pressure to cut these inflated salaries is building – despite the crazy Croke Park deal which protects the very well paid. In his hugely influential piece in this newspaper this month Morgan Kelly pointed to the folly of imposing savage cuts so that civil servants like him could continue to earn salaries way above the EU norm. And to his great credit another economist, Joe Durkan of the ESRI, admitted last week that he could afford to take a pay cut on his €100,000-plus salary. Here’s a question – why should parents of special needs children have to accept swingeing cuts when the top earners still have the cream?

This is the last Teachers' Pet until the autumn as we head into the exam season. The response to the column this year has been extraordinary, with dozens of e-mails every week. Many thanks to all of the brave whistleblowers who have the courage to speak out. Keep those e-mails coming to teacherspet@irishtimes.com