‘Giant steps’ needed on indiscipline

CLASSROOM indiscipline is now top of the teachers’ agenda, edging out pay, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) conference heard yesterday.

Limerick city delegate Maura Carroll described teachers going through “hell on earth” because of students who spoke casually about bringing shotguns to school.

A TUI survey of 58 schools in February found that 97% of teachers experienced some form of student misbehaviour or disruption in the preceding week.

Among 13 forms of misbehaviour listed were lateness or absenteeism by students, students talking and shouting in class, damage by students to property, verbal abuse directed at teachers, as well as sexual innuendo /harassment towards teachers.

TUI assistant general secretary Declan Glynn, while welcoming initiatives on discipline by Education Minister Mary Hanafin, said they were too tentative.

“She has taken baby steps where giant steps are required,” he said.

The minister was spending €2m on implementing the recommendations of a task force on the issue which, for instance, was only 7% of funding provided in Scotland for the same purpose, he said.

Only 30 schools were being given behaviour support classrooms for disruptive students, but these should be provided in each of the 200 schools designated as disadvantaged, he felt.

Ms Hanafin, who received a warm welcome from the 400 delegates, said behaviour support classes would be fully operational in up to 50 schools for the next school year. She said the hope was to integrate students into mainstream classes so special classes would not become a “dumping ground”.

She pledged to amend Section 29 of the Education Act to ensure the right of the majority of students to learn and the right of teachers to teach would be also be respected in legislation.

The conference decided to work toward a common approach on resolving the discipline crisis with the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland.