Hanafin rejects appeal to boost support service

EDUCATION Minister Mary Hanafin said yesterday she will not be offering the level of behavioural supports for schools over which teachers have threatened to strike.

Despite disturbing evidence of the abuse suffered at the hands of their students, she also said that members of the Teachers Union of Ireland would not be entitled to pay increases if they carry out the threat.

One member described yesterday how a teenager at a north Dublin school threatened to injure himself and accuse the teacher of doing it.

“He said he was going to drill a hole in his own hand but that he would blame the teacher.

“People in second-level schools are trying to transfer to other sectors because they are so disillusioned by the lack of help dealing with behaviour problems in class,” said Dublin City area representative John Farrell.

The TUI annual congress voted on Tuesday in favour of a one-day strike and a national demonstration if Ms Hanafin does not extend the National Behaviour Support Service to more than 70 schools which had applied unsuccessfully for its help.

The service is working with 50 schools to help address problems with particularly disruptive students and 35 of these have a behaviour support classroom, where small groups are taught and get help dealing with their issues.

The union is to ballot its 9,000 members at more than 350 schools on the action, although any strike is unlikely to take place ahead to State exams in June.

But Ms Hanafin said that while the support service will be extended to some schools in the next year, it will not be made available to all those that had requested it.

She said none of the teacher unions have any right to be contemplating a strike when they’re part of the social partnership process.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation voted on Tuesday for industrial action if Government promises on class size are not met.