Teachers involved in the ASTI dispute would do everything in their power to ensure that time lost during the dispute was made up in the classroom, a Co Cork school principal said yesterday. Mr Jim O'Leary, principal of St Mary's Girls' Secondary School in Macroom, Co Cork, said the latest moves seemed hopeful and it was everyone's wish that the dispute should end as quickly as possible.
However, by his direct intervention in an article in The Irish Times, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, angered the teachers even more. Mr O'Leary said the fact that the Government withheld payment for teachers during the work-to-rule element of the strike, when their union was preparing to enter negotiations, was bad enough, but in the Irish Times article the Taoiseach had impugned their motives for the strike and brought it into the realms of politics.
"That article provoked a lot of anger amongst teachers and did more to exacerbate the dispute than to bring it to a successful conclusion," Mr O'Leary said. "From my own experience I know that every teacher involved in this dispute is deeply concerned about his or her students and wants to get back into the classroom as quickly as possible to do what we do best - that is, teaching our students.
"Not a single teacher I know of wants to be outside the classroom, especially where Leaving Cert students are concerned. I think you can take it that once the dispute is over every effort will be made to make up for lost time because the single most important driving force for teachers is to ensure their students will get the best possible examination results."
Meanwhile, parents' groups in Co Kerry are looking at setting up study groups for students in case the latest efforts to end the ASTI dispute fail. Parents are looking at a range of options to make up for lost time, including asking teachers to work half-days on Saturdays with proper remuneration.
Ms Janice Murray, chairwoman of the Kerry region Catholic Schools Parents' Association, said parents were still angry. She said those who contacted her on Wednesday night felt strongly that teacher accountability should come into any new pay deals. But they were grateful to teachers who had marked extra work.
Teachers on the picket lines in Killarney yesterday said they were cautiously optimistic progress would be made in their dispute with the Minister for Education. Teachers at St Brigid's Secondary School Presentation College said they were prepared to "stick to the mandate we have given our union" and continue industrial action.