Jess Casey: Teacher conferences may be online, but Norma Foley won't get off the hook
Covid and the classroom will get high billing at the teacher conferences, which get underway today.
In the halcyon days before Covid forced us all online, trade union members could let their discontent be known with placards at the annual teacher conferences. As they get underway virtually today, it will be interesting to see what form the simmering tensions take. And boy, are those tensions there.
The seemingly sudden change to the vaccine rollout last week is just the latest in a series of incidents to aggrieve those working in our schools during the pandemic. They include, but are not limited to, the handling of last year’s Leaving Cert, a late recall of potentially dangerous hand sanitiser, and a second closure of schools.
Factor in staffing and substitution headaches as schools attempt to keep the show on the road during outbreaks, as well as what many teachers view as poor communication from the powers that be. Underpinning all of this is the fact that, despite best efforts, many teachers, special needs assistants, and principals do not feel safe working in schools.
Understandably then, Covid and the classroom will get high billing at the teacher conferences. The pandemic aside, a number of longstanding issues are also set to dominate the agendas today and tomorrow.
Despite some progress, lower pay for teachers who entered the profession after 2011 remains a key issue. According to the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI), there is still an €80,000 loss in career earnings, with the largest differences in salary in the early years of employment, even with recent gains.
The issue of class sizes is also set to be raised. The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) has campaigned for reduced primary school classes, making it a priority budget issue even before Covid. But the issues with Ireland’s large classes, currently on average one of the highest in the EU, really came home to roost last summer as planning for reopening began.
Ireland was the only country in the EU where its Department of Education had to provide floor plans for social distancing in a class of 30 or more students, according to the union. While a commitment was made in Budget 2021 to reduce class sizes on average by one student, INTO members will be seeking a minimum of a one-point reduction each year during the lifetime of the current Government, bringing us to the EU average of 20:1.
The INTO Congress is also likely to call for further investment and services for children with additional needs in mainstream classes, special classes, and special schools.
Last winter, the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI) secured a mandate for industrial action, up to and including work stoppages, relating to a number of concerns around Covid and the classroom, as well as in relation to lower pay rates for those who entered the profession after 2011.
One motion up for debate at this year's ASTI conference would see the union refuse to co-operate with any further changes to the Senior Cycle until a full and comprehensive report on the new Junior Cycle is compiled, completed, and fully discussed.
Proposed by Kevin Wall from Coláiste Éamann Rís and Cork South Paddy Mulcahy branch, it argues that the implementation of the new Junior Cycle programme has resulted in an increased workload, by way of classroom-based assessments.
This, along with the increase in other initiatives, has left many teachers overwhelmed.
The implementation of the new changes has also been severely hampered by school closures, and due to restrictions on group work due to Covid-19 safety measures in schools. As such, the ASTI is seeking a full, rigorous independent evaluation of the Junior Cycle programme before any changes to Senior Cycle are considered. While the ASTI recognises the need for a review of the Senior Cycle, it wants teachers to be treated as key stakeholders.
“ASTI feels that 'marginalising' teachers in the policy-making process, while at the same time making them responsible for its successful implementation, is likely to result in significant problems,” it says.
At second level, the TUI shares many of the same concerns with the ASTI. When it comes to its members at third level, it has serious concerns over the sustainability of a significantly increased workload as a result of the move to remote learning. A recent survey carried out by the union found that three in 10 lecturers considered leaving the profession early due to Covid-19.
Also, four in 10 lecturers said they do not believe their students have access to the required IT facilities to learn from home. With this in mind, pressure is on for Simon Harris, the minister for further and higher education, to provide some form of clarity on arrangements for next September, as part of his address today.
