Sir, - With the INTO's annual congress taking place shortly, I write with regard to criticism of the INTO for proposing a possible reduction or abolition of the Irish qualification required to teach in a primary school in the Republic. Many tend to criticise those who have trained outside the Republic, assuming that they do not want to teach Irish and that this is why they are demanding a change. In most cases, however, this is not correct and I would like to give the other side of this story.
I was trained in Northern Ireland and I taught there for 10 years. As my husband is from Donegal we decided to move to Carrigart and for two years I continued to travel in and out to Derry each day, a round trip of 84 miles. A year-and-a-half ago I was lucky enough to secure a teaching post in the local primary school. Since then I have been attending numerous night classes and studying in my spare time in an effort to gain a working knowledge of the Irish language. I really enjoy the language and find that with the many excellent resources available today - books, videos, audio cassettes, etc. - I can deliver the required curriculum to the children in my care. I also swap with other members of staff in my school during the week so they can consolidate and add to the children's Irish language experience and this works very well. I believe that the Irish language is a very important part of the children's education and I try to incorporate it as much as possible during the day and am totally committed to the teaching of the language to the young children in my care.
However, even though I deliver the full curriculum to the children each day, teach the same hours, have 12 years' teaching experience and hold a Bachelor of Education honours degree, I am paid as an untrained teacher at an EU rate of approximately £12,000 a year - £2,000 below the very lowest point of the pay scale! Not only does this make it very difficult to make ends meet each month, but it also leaves me feeling worthless and exploited. Someone with similar training and experience as myself receives about £22,000 a year gross, £10,000 more than I do for doing the same job. At the moment teachers like myself have to pass the SCG exam within three years. Those opposed to teachers who have trained outside the Republic pass this off as "a very attainable exam" which can be got easily with "a few months of their summer holiday spent doing Irish courses". I wonder have they seen the syllabus recently? It is much too detailed to even outline here but suffice it to say that with one three-hour paper, a two-hour paper, an oral and an aural it is a very difficult exam of a higher standard than even the present Honours Leaving Certificate, as it incorporates teaching methodology. Yet I am expected to do in three years what it takes others 14 years of study at school to do. This is as well as teaching full-time, running a home and looking after my two young children.
Why should I have to attain this standard? Surely as long as the children in my class receive the full curriculum with my teaching backed up by other teachers in my school (while I take their classes for subjects in which I have my degree), I should be paid my full salary. Over three years the Department of Education will have withheld almost £30,000 of my gross salary. How can anyone believe this to be right or fair in these days when equality in the workplace is of such importance? Indeed, how can it be allowed legally?
I would be delighted to hear from others in a similar position, or anyone willing to support efforts to change this very unfair situation. - Yours, etc., Elaine A. L. Bonner,
Main Street, Carrigart, Co Donegal.