ASTI says practical reforms are needed

ASTI conference: Educational reform must start with the provision of adequate school buildings and facilities, the ASTI general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon said yesterday.

In a pointed criticism of plans for a new consultative process on education, he said what was really needed was practical reforms which would be of real benefit to school communities - such as decent accommodation.

"It is wholly unacceptable that pupils and teachers are working in damp, dangerous school buildings with unsanitary toilet facilities," he said.

The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, is to launch his new consultative process shortly and this, he said, would set the education agenda. Mr Lennon however said the whole thing was "an exercise in buying time" when there were limited resources in the national purse.

The general secretary said the recent ASTI support for benchmarking brought to an end "formal agitation" for a separate pay increase. He reminded delegates that the union had now signed up to the modernisation agenda set out in the benchmarking programme. This includes discussion on the timing of parent/teacher meetings and on a common school year.

Earlier yesterday the conference withdrew a motion which threatened non co-operation with new courses if the Minister pursued aspects of the modernisation agenda.

Mr Lennon said he was concerned that the Department of Education was now attempting to add on new demands including an end to staggered school returns after holiday breaks.

"If the Minister failed to get certain items included in the modernisation agenda . . . he is not now going to be allowed to bring them in by the back door," he said.

He said the response of the Department to the appalling conditions in many second-level schools remained slow and bureaucratic. Mr Dempsey should "initiate a plan to deal with the appalling circumstances in which some students have to learn and some teachers have to teach."

Mr Lennon expressed disappointment with the Minister's refusal to proceed with the planned commission on teaching.

"It would allow us to highlight many of the difficulties faced by teachers in schools and promote the strategies which we believe are necessary to support good teaching in schools."