Teacher's pet

An insider's guide to education

•Almost unnoticed, the seven university presidents have pocketed very handsome pay awards from the recent review body on higher pay.

The four presidents in what the review calls Level 1 colleges (UCD, Trinity, UCC and NUI Galway) will now receive €270,000 a year. Their colleagues in the Level 2 colleges (NUI Maynooth, Limerick and DCU) must make do with a measly €236,000.

The presidents owe a drink or two to employment consultant Seán O'Driscoll and to Michael McGrath, the former head of the their representative group, the Irish Universities Association (IUA), who laid the ground for an increase. The IUA submission spoke of the great "intellectual horsepower" required for the posts - and clearly the review body accepted the argument.

In other pay awards, Brian Norton, the president of DIT, also receives €236,000 and Pauric Travers, the avuncular head of St Pat's Drumcondra gets €161,000 a year.

In the institute of technology sector, the directors/presidents of Cork, Waterford and Galway/Mayo receive €172,000. The 10 others receive just €161,000.

•On the basis of last week's lively exchanges in the Dáil, Mary Hanafin had better get used to some robust encounters with the impressive new Opposition team in education

Both Ruarí Quinn (Labour) and Brian Hayes (Fine Gael) have targeted Hanafin and both seem determined to land a punch. It all marks a huge change for Hanafin who has glided through Dáil questions- until now.

Our troubled international soccer team may need Gerard Houllier or someone like him to revive it - but there is at least one reason to be cheerful.

Teachers are saying good things about the new FAI school development programme which has been sent to all schools. The new programme includes soccer skills training and details on supports for equipment.

•Are we seeing the first green shoots of recovery down at the ASTI? After a period of internal soul-searching, the organisation suddenly seems re-invigorated.

The union organised a much lauded conference on the future of education this weekend, featuring Tom Collins of NUI Maynooth and other luminaries.

Goodness, there is even some interesting reading this month in the ASTI journal Aistir, including a good piece by president Patricia Wroe on efforts to review the union's branch network.

Is ASTI on the way back?

E-mail us in confidence at teacherspet@irish-times.ie