The secondary teachers' union, ASTI, has dismissed the Minister for Education's latest announcement of extra teaching posts as "nothing new" and has warned of industrial action unless staffing levels improve.
For the second day running, Mr Martin announced "improvements" in the staffing of schools. On Monday his announcement of 150 new primary teaching posts to help bring down class sizes was warmly welcomed by the INTO. However, yesterday's announcement of improvements involving "a total of over 500 second-level teaching posts" turned out to be a repeat of the 225 posts already announced in December to tackle educational disadvantage at second level, plus the redeployment of around 275 teachers who are surplus to requirements because of falling student numbers. This redeployment will cost around £4.5 million.
Mr Martin said the extra teaching posts would allow remedial teaching to be extended to all 730 second-level schools and the home-school liaison scheme to all 190 disadvantaged schools.
What is effectively a slight reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio will give greater security to teachers who are surplus to requirements.
He said his latest initiative would allow all schools with over 600 students to have a full-time remedial post. A Department of Education spokesman said 272 schools would benefit from this, either by getting a full- or part-time post.
The announcement was welcomed by the Teachers' Union of Ireland, although it expressed disappointment at the level of resources being allocated. "The extra teachers will not provide an adequate remedial service to every school, never mind an adequate guidance counselling service," the TUI president, Mr Joe Carolan, said.
The ASTI general secretary, Mr Charlie Lennon, said there was nothing in yesterday's package to dissuade ASTI members "from balloting on industrial action in order to have staffing levels improved" at this year's annual convention.
He said Ireland had the fewest teachers per second-level school of any EU state, despite being its fastest growing economy.
He said the Government had not recognised the commitment in the Programme for Competitiveness and Work to reduce classroom teaching hours for those teachers with new duties such as discipline, parental liaison and administration. "Without extra teachers to take over when such post-holders are being asked to take on these extra duties outside the classroom, the result will be that class sizes will actually increase."
Ms Fionnuala Kilfeather, of the National Parents Council - Primary, reacting to both the Minister's announcements, stressed that while they welcomed the increases in teacher numbers, they also wanted to see "some measurement of outcomes - what works for the children".
She pointed to recent research from the Educational Research Centre at St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, which questioned the effectiveness of present remedial teaching methods.