THE RANGE OF new programmes recently introduced at second level has given rise to the need for in service training for teachers. According to John White, assistant general secretary of the ASTI, the new programmes - including Leaving Cert Applied and Vocational programmes, the Junior Certificate and the Transition Year - mean teachers need training.
"In career development is essential if the transfer in the system is to be successful. We must train the teachers to cope with the new Programmes," White says.
However, he says, as a body, teachers are concerned that the expenses available for this in service are not sufficient to meet the teachers costs.
"For example the overnight allowance is only £12. The ASTI has had discussions with the Department about this issue and the Department has undertaken to come back to us with proposals," White says.
According to him, the second problem the ASTI has with the in service training as it exists is that there is no automatic substitution for teachers when they participate in the in service programmes - though provision is made by the Department in some cases.
"If a teacher was away because there is a new music programme, there is no automatic substitution made," he says.
Rose Malone, Education Research officer with the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) says any syllabus change should mean automatic inservice. However, she says, there are still teachers at certain VEC schools in some parts of the State awaiting in service training for the changes in the 1995 Leaving Cert syllabus.
"The in service should he automatic. Everyone should be able to attend and because it's work, it should be held on a school day with substitution provided," Malone says.
Malone agrees that the £12 overnight allowance is far too small and means that teachers are going to be out of pocket. "If anyone can find a B&B for £12 a night, I think they should inform Bord Failte," she says.
Malone also says the travel allowance doesn't measure up to other public service rates. With only 22p per mile allowed for travel, she says teachers are getting one third of the public service allowance for travel expenses.
"We reject an situation that puts a teacher out of pocket," she says. "There are not necessarily all that many overnight stays, because the Department has introduced a variety of different forms of inservice, but where they are necessary the teacher should not he out of pocket."
The TUI also has a problem with the absence of automatic substitution for teachers taking in service. "Even in a case where the teachers providing the in service come to the individual school, teachers will need to take at least a few hours off," Malone says.
This form of in service, where trainers visit the schools, is not going to work for subjects like English where there are huge changes in content, she says.
However, John White lauds this new in service training, in which some teachers take secondment and visit schools.
"We believe this is a better idea, because there can be up to 60 teachers at the central venue with someone lecturing them. This is not conducive to dealing with individual problems.
"Now teachers are being seconded and it works out much better. From September on, new courses in accounting and music will be introduced and 11 teachers have been seconded to visit the secondary schools and give the in service training there," White says.
In 1996, spending on in career development in the second level area reached over £2.5 million. In round terms, £220,000 was spent on the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, £175,000 on the Leaving Certificate Applied, £640,000 the Transition Year, £215,000 oil civics, social and political education, £350,000 on other Leaving Certificate curricular changes and just over £1 million on local initiatives.
In addition to these figures, there was expenditure on the RSE programme in service, which started last autumn.
Another feature of in career programmes for second level teachers has been the establishment of training programme support services. According to the Department, this has the major advantage of removing the once off element of training and provides permanent support in the form of personnel, helplines and advice.
Paul Doyle, principal officer of the in career development unit at the Department, says the model of in service provision is designed to minimise disruption to the "Where there are specific difficulties, we consider applications for substitution," he says.
Doyle says that it should be a rare enough event where teachers have to stay overnight but the Department is happy enough to look at the overall approach to this. "Traditionally the Department provided a £12 contribution toward overnight costs for teachers on in service courses. However the Department is open to reviewing how this money should be allocated and particularly in the context of the major curricular programmes underway at present," says Doyle.
He says the Department is aware that the issue has been raised by primary teachers and will have to be discussed.
