Teachers’ pay - Reward the best to raise standards

At this time of the year, the public debate inevitably turns to teachers as they hold their annual conferences. The ensuing debate, both in and outside the conference halls, is guaranteed to generate much heat.

Dr Ed Walsh, the founding president and driving force of the University of Limerick for many years, added his own heat, and many would argue hot air, to the debate this week when he launched a blistering attack on the teaching profession on Newstalk radio.

He described teachers as “a pampered group” who are “behaving like spoiled children”, making “outrageous demands” while ignoring the national crisis.

He dismissed some of their demands as “mischievous, ill thought-out and an insult to the profession”. He called on the Government to face down the teachers.

“Teachers’ salaries each year cost the taxpayer €4 billion, and in extremis, I don’t think it would be a great crisis if, in fact, all of the teachers went on strike for a year, we would then save €4bn,” he argued.

Dr Walsh made an invaluable contribution to education in this country, but it is very hard to accept that he actually believed all he was saying in the course of those comments.

His comments will, however, focus minds on how divisive the issue of public sector pay cuts and reform can be.

Reform in the education sector is no different.

What is certain is that teachers will have to play their role in Ireland’s recovery, the importance of which, it could be argued, is far greater than most in society.

This is why the role of teachers should not be diminished by division and populist platitudes.

The fact is, however, that a system where all teachers – good, bad and indifferent – are paid at the same rate and receive the same benchmarked increases for the same amount of work cannot continue.

In all other professions, efficiency, effectiveness and dedication are recognised and rewarded. It should not be beyond the scope of the Government to devise a fair system that recognises and rewards the performance of our better teachers.

To continue with the status quo means, ironically, that the real dedication of our better teachers is ignored.

For example, much of the current controversy surrounds teachers being asked to do an extra hour a week.

This is an insult to many teachers who have long been working the additional hours and many more in extra curricular activities to the betterment of many children for which they received absolutely no remuneration.

What is needed and what these teachers deserve is a system of proper performance appraisal which ensures the best performing and most dedicated teachers are recognised and rewarded.

These are just a few of the issues facing the education sector but as the debate rages and the heat rises, a simple cold fact should not be forgotten – the quality of a child’s education dictates not only their own future but that of the entire nation.