Teacher unions to meet new Minister over cuts and junior cycle reforms

Teacher unions which are meeting Minister for Education Jan O’Sullivan for the first time this week are seeking a relaxation of spending controls on schooling because of the improved economic outlook.

TUI general secretary John Mac Gabhann said disadvantaged students had been hit hardest by austerity-era cutbacks such as the increase in the pupil-to-teacher ratio. "While all schools have been affected by cuts, schools in affluent communities are in a better position to deal with those effects," he said.

“However, schools in disadvantaged communities that cater for a disproportionate number of students with special educational needs and from non-English-speaking backgrounds are struggling to provide a basic frontline service in the absence of supports previously available,” Mr Mac Gabhann added.

“Priority must be given to a reversal of those cutbacks that worst hit the disadvantaged. We will be making strong representation to the Minister for Education and Skills to reverse the most inequitable of the cutbacks inflicted in recent years.”

Delegations from the TUI and ASTI, the two unions representing second-level teachers, are meeting Ms O’Sullivan this week, at which the planned reform of the junior cycle is also due to feature. They have withdrawn co-operation from the plan, although they have told English teachers – the first cohort affected under a phased rollout of the reforms from this month – that they must teach the new framework programme or they run the risk of being sacked.

The unions are strongly opposed to plans to have teachers assess their own students and they also want to retain State certification of the junior cycle award. More detailed negotiations are to take place between the Department of Education and the unions in the coming weeks. One suggested compromise is that teachers swap classes – either within the school or between schools – for the purpose of assessment.

Meanwhile, the Irish Primary Principals Network is concerned about the impact of the growing numbers of teacher retirements, noting that more than 230 positions for primary school principals have been advertised since January.

Its director Seán Cottrell said it expected this figure to rise to about 300 before the end of 2014, “resulting in a huge loss of tacit knowledge and experience to our education system”. Compared to teacher-training, “preparation and training for principalship is much more erratic,” he said.