Around 1,000 people have answered adverts to assist in the supervision of second-level exams. The Department of Education placed the adverts as part of emergency plans to deal with secondary teachers who have refused to assist in exam supervision and marking as part of their ongoing industrial action.
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The advert placed today by the Department
of Education in the national press |
The Department have described the response to adverts they placed in the national press as massive but refused to put a figure on the number of applications requested. However,
ireland.com
has learned that the Department headquarters in Athlone have received around 1,000 responses today.
Hundreds of secondary school students around the country staged walk-out protests over the threat to exams posed by the teachers’ dispute.
Students in Ennis, Gorey, Galway, Swords, Ashbourne, Naas, Greystones and Dublin have all left classrooms and staged protests outside their schools.
The Department of Education Examinations branch office in Athlone, Co Westmeath is being picketed by up to 500 students from local schools.
In Roscrea, Co Tipperary, secondary pupils staged a demonstration outside the constituency offices of the Minister for Defence, Mr Michael Smith.
Protests were also held at St Aidan’s, Collins Avenue in north Dublin city, the Taoiseach’s constituency.
Students from all around the country are expected to march on the Dail at 10.00 a.m. tomorrow, the first of two days this week earmarked for strike action by ASTI members. They are due to strike on Thursday and next week as part of their ongoing dispute with the Government over pay.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Joint Managerial Body of Secondary Schools said that representatives are meeting officials from the Department of Education to discuss arrangements for running the Junior and Leaving Cert exams.
The Minister for Education, Dr Woods, is answering written questions in the Dial this afternoon on the issue and will address a Cabinet meeting later.
In relation to today's adverts, the Department said teachers who have already applied and are prepared to work within the contingency arrangements are asked to apply again.
The advert sets out the supervisor's main duties, which include setting up the exam centres, handing out question papers and answer books and marking the attendance roll.
The Department has promised that full training and instruction will be given to the successful applicants.
Advertisements for examiners will be published shortly.
