INTO congress - Silence spoke volumes

The reception accorded to Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe by the primary teachers attending the conference of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) yesterday at Letterkenny has been depicted as frosty. The teachers were protesting against the pensions levy, the loss of teaching posts and the abolition of special needs classes.

This year’s conference is dominated by two issues — the education cuts and the cuts that teachers are feeling in their own pockets. INTO president Declan Kelleher clearly reflected the mood of the gathering when he warned that “the Government would reap its reward”. At that point he received a standing ovation.

The INTO congress had already debated in private whether or not to walk out of the conference in protest as the minister began to speak. Refusing to listen would not have been an appropriate tactic, especially for teachers.