ASTI conference to discuss bullying of teachers by pupils

The issue of bullying and student indiscipline is set to top the agenda at the annual conference of the Association of Secondary Teachers today.

The union says the issue needs to be urgently addressed, with some teachers under intense stress due to harassment from certain students.

Yesterday, the ASTI voted in favour of renegotiating social partnership pay increases and also passed a motion calling for secondary school class sizes to be reduced to 20 by 2008.

In an address to the Irish National Teachers Organisation earlier in the day, Minister for Education Mary Hanafin promised to reduce primary school classes to no more than 24 pupils if the Government is returned to power.

However, she side-stepped the issue at the ASTI conference, saying such reductions were not so straightforward at second level.

Ms Hanafin is due to travel to Donegal today to address the annual conference of the other secondary school teachers' union, the TUI.