An insider's guide to education

- The talks for the revised Programme for Government underlined the lobbying power of the three teacher unions. All three unions’ leaders were closely involved in virtually every stage of the discussions on the education plan.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) was the first to seize on the potential of the talks and the way in which they could reverse the education cutbacks.

INTO general secretary, John Carr, kept in close contact with the Fianna Fáil negotiating team, which included two former education ministers, Noel Dempsey (pictured right), Minister for Transport, and Mary Hanafin, Minister for Social and Family Affairs.

By midweek, some mild panic began to spread among second-level teaching unions about the dominance of primary education in the talks.

All of this forced a strong rearguard action from the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI).

ASTI general secretary, John White, briefed Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, while TUI boss Peter MacMenamin worked through details of the deal with Green Party leader, John Gormley. The quid pro quo from the Greens was that teacher unions would welcome the deal, which they duly did.

The final result – 500 new teachers spread across both primary and secondary schools – was a very good one for teaching unions.

Critically, the proposal in the McCarthy report for progressively larger class sizes appears to have been reversed.

- The following is an extract from a new history of Blackrock College, due to be launched this week by former minister Dr Rory O'Hanlon and his son Ardal, of Father Tedfame (class of 1983).

A quick excerpt: "In fourth year, a number of students participated in an exchange programme with colleges in Northern Ireland to promote cross-Border understanding and friendship. It seemed that our Northern friends' knowledge was mainly based on watching Father Ted. We explained that the South wasn't quite like that. When they arrived at Blackrock College with its many elderly priests they didn't believe another word we said!"

The book, Fearless and Bold, is being published to mark the 150th anniversary of the college. It is edited by former Sunday Tribuneeditor, Paddy Murray.

- Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe was conspicuous by his absence at the annual conference of second-level school principals in Galway this weekend.

Apparently O’Keeffe was unhappy with his treatment at the conference of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) last year and was forced to remind the leadership he was an invited guest.

His snub was bad news for the NAPD who – like all the main education lobby groups – like to have the Minister in attendance.

- The Department of Education will shortly make an appointment of great significance.

A new chief inspector will be appointed. He or she will have a key role to play in monitoring and maintaining academic standards.

He or she will be uniquely qualified to answer one of the burning questions in Irish education – are academic standards being dumbed down, especially at second level?

The former chief inspector of schools in England, Chris Woodhead, blazed a trail by speaking out bluntly on education, raising awkward questions for government, teachers and parents. One might not agree with everything (or indeed anything) he said, but Woodhead was informed and thought-provoking.

How good it would be to see the next Department of Education chief inspector taking a very public role in education debate. Why leave it all to the teachers’ unions?

• E-mail us, in confidence, at teacherspet@irishtimes.com