A lesson in honour for the Government

The recent decision of the 17,000 members of the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland to reject the Haddington Road proposals was pragmatic.

Secondary teachers were offered a straight choice: cram extra work into an overloaded schedule or accept another pay cut. It is not surprising they opted for the latter.

OECD reports show that Irish second-level teachers spend more time teaching their students than do their counterparts in the majority of other countries, and that they work with the largest class sizes in Europe.