The dust has settled on a new agreement, yet the evidence is there that teachers up and down the State are not happy with their salary levels. By the narrowest of margins - 51 per cent to 49 per cent - the INTO members accepted the deal and TUI members rejected it.
I wish to dispel the myth that there has been increased militancy in the ASTI under my leadership. This is simply untrue. Our members want a salary increase. Different options on how to pursue this were outlined in two documents. Disruption of examinations this year was never even considered by our standing committee. This has been the most united standing committee I have served on in my seven years as a member of the executive. Our larger 180-person CEC has supported all our decisions.
I did not spearhead the ASTI withdrawal from Congress. As president, I chair all meetings of the executive - motions are submitted, debated and voted upon. Members who made this decision are seasoned forty-somethings and fifty-somethings deeply committed and experienced ASTI members. Their frustration that a pay claim which was to be dealt with separately and prior to any new agreement was now to be dependent on signing up to a new deal and the amount, which was much less than was expected, was the reason for this decision. Under the lifetime of recent agreements teachers had not received percentage increased enjoyed by other workers in both the public and private sectors.
In effect, over 45 per cent of the public service workers are receiving 3 per cent. Teachers knew that their salaries had been repositioned downwards. A teacher salary scale starts at £14,809 and rises on a 25-point scale to £28,784. There are additional qualification and responsibility allowances. Their pension is based on 40 years' service.
At our annual convention in 1999, delegates made impassioned speeches regarding the levels of change and productivity they had experienced and were experiencing. New courses have been introduced e.g. LCA, information technology, the Vocation Leaving Certificate, Transition Year, CSPI and RSE. There have been changes in syllabuses in a range of subjects at both Junior and Leaving Certificate level, and new teaching methods have had to be used. All these programmes demand time, energy and commitment. And as many second-level teachers teach up to 240 students in one day - eight classes of 30 students - it is not difficult to see how such demands are extracting a heavy toll on our profession. We are also in a time of great social change and the problems in society are coming into the classroom.
Over a year ago at a conference in Ennis, Co Clare, entitled "Towards a New Millennium", one young teacher asked Professor Joe Lee whether schools should have to deal with the problems of society. His answer was, "No, they shouldn't but they must because no one else is doing it". Our members co-operate with Ministers in new initiatives regarding student retention, drug awareness, home/school links etc. At the same time, they prepare students for two State examinations, the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate, and because these are externally set and examined, standards are set for both student and teacher.
An article by The Irish Times political reporter, Kevin Rafter, on March 20th, stated: "TDs could get 25 per cent rise in pay plan departure" and noted that the Government has departed from its Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF) pay strategy by expanding the remit of the latest review body on public sector pay and include a link between Oireachtas members' salaries and civil service grades. Senators would also benefit from this and I find it highly ironic that one such senator, working in a Sunday newspaper, is so critical of teachers. This departure from its own pay policy by the Government did not give rise to any complaints from economists, political commentators or newspaper editors that the common good would be threatened if such a rise was granted. Such ire seems reserved for teachers. We simply want to paid for all the productivity we have given in recent years and to achieve equity with other groups.
As I write this article, a major conference on school culture and ethos organised by the Marino Institute of Education is taking place here in Dublin. I believe that having a dedicated professional teaching force who regard teaching as a lifetime commitment is essential for the development and sustenance of a school ethos and culture. In Ireland, up until now, we have been fortunate in having such a teaching force. The real issue for second-level education in Ireland today is whether our graduates will regard teaching as an attractive profession and whether, if they are recruited into it, they will remain there to give the dedication and commitment which ASTI members are giving and have given in the past. As president of the ASTI, I am concerned that there has been a substantial drop in those applying for the H.Dip this year; the numbers are down by over 400 per cent. When taken in conjunction with the 14 per cent drop in applicants for education-related courses last year and the increasing feminisation of the profession, there is plenty of evidence for this concern. Our young teachers cannot afford basic housing.
The school is a community and the development of community is dependent on a permanent, professional, well-paid teaching staff with high morale. In business terms, they would be described as a valuable human resource. They are absolutely necessary for providing a well-rounded education in a stable, caring environment.
I believe, at this point in our economic development, when well-paid jobs abound for our graduates in every area, it is imperative for teachers' unions, parent organisations, managerial bodies, the Department of Education and Science, and the Department of Finance to ensure that teaching is regarded and rewarded as a worthwhile profession. Otherwise future generations of students - and indeed the world of business and society as a whole - be the poorer.
