THE ANNUAL teacher union conferences will attract considerable media attention this week; indeed there can be few groups whose views are reported so comprehensively. But do the teacher unions make the most of this opportunity? Do these conferences portray the teaching profession as a group of dedicated professionals? Do they help teachers build bridges with parents, potentially their most important allies?
In recent years, some teacher union conferences have done little to bolster the image of the profession. Last year, the leadership of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) was forced to apologise to former minister Batt O’Keeffe after he was barracked by some delegates. This year, the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) – in a very petulant gesture – decided not to invite the Minister because of pay and pension cuts. At the conferences themselves, substantial debate on education issues is often crowded out.
And there is much to discuss. The recent grade inflation controversy has raised very serious questions about the quality of our education system. Former Intel chief Craig Barrett has described our education system as no better than average. US multinationals – who employ over 220,000 people in this State – have questioned academic standards in the Leaving Cert exam and in many third-level colleges. All of this should prompt serious and measured debate at the annual conference of the two second-level unions – the TUI and the ASTI. But, as the chief executive of the Higher Education Authority, Tom Boland, has pointed out a key issue like Leaving Cert reform is not given the priority it merits on the conference agendas.
Instead, the ASTI and TUI conferences in particular will be dominated by the familiar issues of teacher pay and conditions. We are told that anger is rising over the public service pay deal; the customary, combustible mix of blood and thunder is promised at this week’s conferences. Two teacher unions – the TUI and the ASTI – are set to oppose the deal. With more than a hint of exaggeration, one TUI member has labelled the deal the “most serious betrayal of the Irish trade union movement since 1900’’.
But it would be good to hear delegates explore a more pertinent question. What is the alternative to the deal? Is an escalation of the current low-level industrial action in the education sector realistic as the State battles with the most serious financial crisis in its history? To its credit, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) considered these questions at some length during last week’s executive meeting. It would be good to see a measured debate on the various alternatives at the ASTI and TUI conferences. But, on past experience, there are few grounds for optimism on this score.
It would be good also to see new Minster for Education Mary Coughlan receive a courteous and cordial welcome from INTO and TUI delegates. The new Minister – the second Tánaiste to hold the Education portfolio – has identified the key role of education in our economic recovery. She deserves a fair wind as she begins work in her new portfolio.