The INTO's man with a full agenda

He's a man with an agenda. Tony Bates, INTO president and Tipperary man, thumbs purposefully through his handwritten notes as he waits for the real interview to begin. He shrugs off questions about his background by handing over an article which appeared in a recent INTO magazine.

Suffice it to say, he comes from a teaching family - both father and grandfather were teachers - and his wife, Dr Brid Bates, is a teacher. He is principal of St Joseph's Special School in Ferryhouse, Clonmel, and is the first teacher from a special school to become president of the INTO. As might be expected, this informs his agenda.

And, so to business. Bates sees it as part of his function to press Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats to deliver on the commitments they gave in the run-up to the election. Micheal Martin, you have been warned.

Both parties gave a clear commitment that the underfunding of primary education would be addressed, he says. In 1985, £30 million was spent on capital expenditure (building programmes, substandard schools, amenities). It decreased in the intervening years, and, this year, £34 million is being spent - £30 million in 1985 and £34 million today are not the same thing, he points out.

"We'll be looking for at least £40 million next year," he adds. As to the annual row that breaks out over the placing of substandard schools on the list for funding for repairs, Bates calls on the Minister to work in conjunction with the INTO to draw up a transparent list of schools and that schools would be moved up the list and dealt with in order.

And, Minister Martin, Tony Bates is not finished yet. "Capitation, the money for the day-to-day running of schools, is grossly underfunded by any standards . . . in the budget preparations we would be looking for an indication that the new Minister is serious about implementing his promises in regard to primary education."

As to staffing, he says that Ireland is at the worst end of the spectrum. "Within a few weeks there will be no trained teachers available to do substitution work. There are only two ways to deal with this - leave the children at home if the teacher is sick or put an untrained person in to babysit the classroom. Neither is very fair to the pupil or parent."

In particular, Bates is concerned about large classes in urban areas. There is also the problem of schools without access to remedial and resource teachers and teacher-counsellors.

Special education is of particular interest to Bates. The provision of classroom assistants, both in special and ordinary classes, is being held up by the Department of Finance, he says. "In that context, the issue that has to be addressed is the question of a weighting system for pupils with disabilities in the ordinary classroom. If, for example, a child with a serious disability is integrated into an ordinary classroom, there is no provision to decrease the numbers in that classroom to allow the teacher to give that extra time to the student.

"There has been a growth in the number of children with severe and profound disabilities who are now within the education system. It's important that the medical and nursing services continue to be available to these children."

Tony Bates has a number of reservations about the Children's Bill. The five special schools, including Ferryhouse, which were previously known as industrial/reform schools, are to be renamed as detention schools or schools of detention. "The title sets the whole tenor for the concept of being punitive and does not recognise that the role of the people who work in the schools is to rehabilitate rather than to incarcerate."

There should be a separation of remand and assessment centres and services, he adds. There should be age-related provision and local boards of management should be retained (there was a proposal that the five schools come under one board), he says. "The earlier the provision is made for children at risk the better effect it will have . . . we would be looking for a commitment from the Minister to continue and expand the Early Start programme."

He turns over a page, moving rapidly onwards to the next item on his agenda - information technology. He asks that the INTO be involved in the planning of the spending of any money that has become available for information technology. Bates also demands that schools get first-class equipment rather than cast-offs from business.

In-service training, the welfare service for teachers, disadvantage, discipline, school principals . . . all jostle for space on his crowded agenda. A significant part of his role during the year is to value the local national school. "Teachers are slow to take credit for the fantastic work they do with the least resources. We shouldn't be afraid to affirm ourselves as we know we are doing a good job. We should say so and be proud of it."