Dempsey still to decide on teacher unions’ conference attendance

EDUCATION Minister Noel Dempsey has yet to decide whether he will attend the three teacher union conferences at Easter.

He drew an angry response from teachers last month when he proposed a discussion with delegates about the education system. Mr Dempsey suggested it might be more useful than the traditional format of speeches by himself and union presidents.

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) wrote to Mr Dempsey last week, telling him they could not change the format of their annual convention. However, they said their invite to him to address delegates in Killarney on April 14 still stands.