Tributes paid following death of ASTI teachers’ union president

The Minister for Education has paid tribute to the president of the Association of Secondary Teachers’ of Ireland (ASTI) who has died following a short illness.

Miriam Duggan, a teacher at Rosmini Community School in Drumcondra, Dublin, was elected ASTI president last year and held a number of senior roles in the union.

Norma Foley said she met Ms Duggan at the ASTI’s conference in Wexford in April, where her “lifelong dedication and passion for education and inclusion was apparent to all who attended”.

“Miriam displayed an enormous commitment to students, to her colleagues and the work of the ASTI. She was a strong leader and a tireless advocate for the education community. The thoughts of all involved in education are with her family, friends and colleagues at this time,” she said.

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ASTI general secretary Kieran Christie expressed his sympathies to family, friends and colleagues of Ms Duggan, who taught English, religion and SPHE.

“Miriam was dedicated to serving the teachers she represented at school, regional and national level,” he said.

“She was involved in a number of ASTI initiatives over the years including activities to highlight and address unequal pay and teacher workload. During her presidency Miriam worked tirelessly to ensure the professional voice of teachers was heard in relation to senior cycle change.”

“Miriam was known to be courageous, fair and always kind,” he added.

Before her election as ASTI president, Ms Duggan was the union’s vice-president (2021/22) and served on a number of its committees, including its executive or standing committee.

She held a variety of roles at branch and school level including chair, secretary and organiser of the union’s Dublin North 1 branch, and school steward at Rosmini Community School. She also served as staff representative on the school board of management, and represented the union as a SPHE subject representative at the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.

Ms Duggan was predeceased by her partner, writer and historian Desmond Fennell.