‘Bullying’ inspectors criticised by teachers
Leading INTO members criticised the cigire (inspectors) for putting pressure on young teachers and creating a “mountain of paperwork”.
“They are pursuing their vocation with evangelical dedication and missionary zeal. But this does not allow them to bully our members,” said general secretary John Carr.
He said the vast majority of inspectors were supportive but that the INTO would embark on a campaign of non-cooperation if the situation did not improve.
Newly qualified teachers must have their work approved by an inspector and many teachers said the process was bureaucratic and inconsistent.
The traditional distance between the inspectors has widened with many teachers complaining of a more unhelpful approach.
Meanwhile, teachers in the country’s 108 Gaelscoils complained about having to use maths books which don’t have the euro symbol and out of date workbooks.
INTO executive member Máire Ní Chuinneagáin said teachers were often reduced to photocopying from English textbooks because of a lack of Irish language alternatives.
“Gaeltacht children have the right to access the new curriculum in their own language, the same as everybody else.”
She added that teachers were struggling to promote the language.
“We get criticised by people for teaching it. The support for the language outside the classroom is just not there.”
In a private debate, teachers were updated about two disputes in schools for children with learning disabilities.
At St Brid’s Special school in Castlebar and St Vincent’s Special School on the North Circular Road, Dublin, children are being educated by special needs teachers.
Since the O’Donoghue case in 1996, the State has been obliged to provide this.
