A MOTION at the Irish National Teachers' Organisation annual congress, which opens in Killarney this evening, has been strongly criticised by parents of disabled children for trying to exclude them from mainstream schools.
The chairman of Parents for Integration, Mr Finian McGrath, himself a primary school principal in Dublin's north inner city, said many parents and teachers throughout the State were "extremely annoyed and offended" at the motion, which "blatantly tries to exclude our children."
The motion urges that the INTO demand that "children with special educational needs not be integrated into mainstream schools until the required support of specially trained teachers assistants and material resources are provided."
Mr McGrath said there were over 8,000 children with disabilities attending mainstream schools whose education would be put at risk if this motion was passed.
He called for it to be withdrawn, adding that it was against the strategy for equality in the report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, which recommends the total educational integration of children with disabilities.
Ironically, the congress's first motion - from the union's central executive committee on the Education Bill - deplores "the lack of commitment to provide adequate support services for the integration of children with special needs."
That motion also rejects as "unworkable, without adequate support services", the Bill's proposals on expanding the principal's role to include submitting an annual report and drawing up a school plan.
It also directs the union to ensure that "no changes are made to the existing inspection procedures without the prior agreement of the INTO."
The second motion reiterates a longstanding INTO demand for negotiations to obtain a substantial increase in the annual capitation fee to primary schools, which covers the costs of heating, lighting, cleaning, maintaining and insuring school buildings.
This currently stands at £45 per pupil, compared to £177 for secondary schools.
Another motion, from Dublin and Wexford delegates, urges the union to look immediately for "the establishment of adequately resourced special units to meet the needs of children presenting serious social, emotional and behavioural problems."
It demands that when a pupil is expelled, "the onus should be on the parents and Department of Education to find alternative accommodation for the child."
The Education Bill is also top of the agenda at the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland, convention in Galway which opens tomorrow.
An emergency motion from the executive urges the effective scrapping of its central provision, the proposed regional education boards.
It calls for amendments to "eliminate those elements of the Bill which propose extravagant structures which will be wasteful of scarce resources and "those aspects of the Bill which propose a reduction in the autonomy of schools."
The motion, recognising that the Government may succeed in getting the Bill through the Oireachtas, also calls for the incorporation into it of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, which currently has no statutory powers, and a teaching council.
It also looks for the elimination of "those aspects of the appeals procedure which will interfere with the efficient and effective operation of schools."
The ASTI general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon, said at the weekend that the union's executive would also table an emergency motion on the Employment Equality Bill, which has led to fears of discrimination against teachers by schools on the ground of defending their religious ethos.
Mr Lennon said the motion would commit the union to take whatever action, including legal action, necessary to protect teachers' private lives.
The Council of State will tomorrow consider whether to refer the Bill to the Supreme Court to test its constitutionality.
A powerful composite motion from Tuam, West Cork, Drogheda and Nayan calls on the ASTI to reject any proposed school inspection scheme whose principal aim is "the appraisal of teachers" to maintain its policy of advising its members that "they are not required to teach in the presence of an inspector"; and to oppose "any attempt to publicise the assessment of individual teachers or school examination results."
A motion at the Teachers' Union of Ireland congress, which begins in Ennis, Co Clare, tomorrow morning, expresses "alarm" - at some aspects of "Whole School - Inspection" proposed by the Department of Education.
Another motion urges the Department to defer the relationships and sexuality education programme and the civic, social and political education programme until the resources are in place to implement them without adversely affecting the time allocation of existing exam subjects.