Time for Minister to walk the walk

As one of more than 800 primary teachers at the recent INTO conference in Donegal, I had the opportunity to hear what the Minister…

As one of more than 800 primary teachers at the recent INTO conference in Donegal, I had the opportunity to hear what the Minister for Education Minister, Batt O’Keeffe, had to say.

In a speech memorable for its lack of education content, I did, however, pick up on one familiar theme – another appeal by the Minister for teachers to work in partnership with him through their union for the good of the country and the good of the pupils.

Minister O’Keeffe told the assembled delegates it would be “a real strength if we could find a way of working together with a shared understanding about what we need to do to secure our future and that of our children.”

I couldn’t agree more, but would have to say that it would carry more conviction if I felt for a minute that it was more than a line scripted by a speech writer to make the speaker seem reasonable.

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The Minister has made similar appeals for partnership in the past, most notably from Beijing last year on the issue of class sizes. What he didn’t say publicly at the time was that not two months prior to this, his Department had binned an INTO proposal to examine the matter through the partnership process.

Frequently during protests against his Budget cutbacks, we heard the Minister appealing for teachers to work in partnership with him. And once again in Letterkenny, the same theme emerged.

Because the fact of the matter is that it’s only words. The Minister can talk the talk but won’t walk the walk.

Two examples will suffice to explain why primary teachers in Donegal gave the Minister such a cool reception.

The Minister’s unilateral action to close 128 special classes for children with mild learning difficulties is about as far from partnership as you can get. Not once before the decision was made were teachers contacted and efforts made to discuss any form of rationalisation.

Yes, teachers would have sought the phasing out of classes rather than immediate closure. Yes, they would have argued strongly to keep open classes that will be full next year but which had fallen below retention numbers this year.

All of this would no doubt have reduced the Minister’s cutback of 128 classes. But it would have ensured that the good of the pupils was at the heart of the process.

Teachers don’t want partnership for the sake of it. It’s meaningless if it remains little more than a phrase to pad out a fairly barren script. It’s only worthwhile if it delivers benefits to children. It can only do that if the Minister walks the walk.

The second is the decision to scrap free books for poor children in all but the most disadvantaged schools. Had the Minister raised the issue with the union in advance, no doubt he would have been given chapter and verse on why he shouldn’t do this. The union could possibly have suggested any one of a dozen alternatives to the proposal.

Even if the upshot was to be a failure to agree, at least the Minister would have the benefit of knowing the full effect of the policy and the increased hardship it will heap on thousands of families in September.

It would also perhaps lead him to put a line through some of what is scripted for him to say at teacher conferences. Then, rather than having to listen to empty rhetoric, those of us listening would have heard an informed and considered assessment from the Minister.

Aidan Gaughran is a primary teacher from Clonmel, Co Tipperary. He is a member of the INTO Education Committee.