Talks fail to resolve school supervision row
The Joint Managerial Body representing school managers has been in discussion with Department of Education officials, but they do not want a return to the contingency plan put in place earlier this year.
It began in March after Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland members refused the Government pay offer for supervision and substitution duties.
But while the contingency plan worked well, at a cost of almost 18 million, the Joint Managerial Body general secretary George O’Callaghan recently told schools it should be brought to an end.
Education Minister Noel Dempsey said yesterday he is confident the matter will be resolved before students return to school next week. He also expressed hope that the ASTI would accept the supervision package, already taken up by the Teachers Union of Ireland and the INTO.
He also ruled out reports that he has plans to reintroduce fees for third-level college. “If I intend to do something about free third-level fees, I’ll make that announcement and I’ll have the discussion at that time,” he said.
