Teachers: Claims of ‘knowledge economy’ are hypocritical

GOVERNMENT claims to be a “knowledge economy” are hypocritical as long as it fails to make relatively small investments to improve science education, teachers have claimed.

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) is likely to upgrade its campaign for laboratory technicians for schools arising from a number of motions at its annual congress in Kilkenny next week.

The appointment of such staff to second-level schools was among the recommendations of the 2002 report of the Task Force on Physical Sciences commissioned by the Government.