Quinn rules out reversal on cutbacks

TEACHERS will be left in no doubt by Education Minister Ruairi Quinn over the next three days that there is no extra funding to reverse cutbacks in schools.

But the minister will also tell delegates at their union conferences, beginning this evening at the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) in Sligo, that he is satisfied they are delivering the reforms required under the Croke Park public service agreement.

As one of the first unions to sign up to it last summer, the INTO can expect particular praise from the Labour minister for its successful implementation to date. The fine details mean that, between February and the summer holidays, the country’s 30,000-plus full-time primary teachers will have given an extra 18 hours of non-teaching work to their schools.

Mr Quinn will also reassure primary teachers tonight that his department has no policy of shutting down small schools, despite fears that an ongoing value for money may lead to such closures.

While the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) and Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) only backed the Croke Park reforms in February and March, respectively, sources say Mr Quinn is keen to ensure that all teachers continue to support Croke Park and fully implement it. Changes to lecturer work practices at institutes of technology, including greater availability to students and for teaching, only got the backing of 56% of TUI’s third-level members last month.

Although he wants to acknowledge the important role teachers are playing as they see the impact of unemployment and reduced living conditions on their students every day, the minister will reiterate the difficulties imposed on education funding. Having spelled out in stark terms the crucial need to keep within EU/IMF spending targets if Ireland is to regain its economic sovereignty at recent school manager conferences, Mr Quinn will take a softer tone with the unions.

But the need to continue doing more with less will be impressed on delegates tonight, tomorrow at the ASTI convention in Cork and at the TUI congress in Tralee on Wednesday. “He will make it clear that there is no room for improving the resources available for education or reversing earlier decisions,” a source said.

While the message should come as no surprise, with the threat of further class size increases looming if further payroll savings can not be identified, union leaders face calls to negotiate reversal of staffing cuts and axing of schools programmes.

TUI president Bernie Ruane said a particular concern is the removal of supports for students where positions such as year heads can no longer be filled if they become vacant.

“The loss of these positions means there is often no longer anybody in a position to intervene in a timely manner in cases of bullying or absenteeism,” she said.

An survey for TUI has found that almost two-thirds of the public believes the range of tasks second level teachers has to complete each week has increased over the last decade.