The theme of this year’s Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) annual congress is “address inequality, invest in education”, and a wide range of motions in Wexford will make clear the need for significantly enhanced resourcing to ensure that students across all sectors have access to the same high-quality education.
The issues to be debated will vary, but a sizeable proportion could be resolved through appropriate Government investment, and that is the clear message we will be firmly but respectfully delivering to the Ministers we have invited to address us.
Shamefully, the latest OECD indicators show that of the countries listed, none spend a lower proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) on education than Ireland. It is the TUI’s strong contention that students from disadvantaged backgrounds suffer the most as a result of this inadequate resourcing, so the continuing failure to properly invest inevitably widens inequalities in our society.
In terms of key issues, the teacher supply crisis remains a daunting challenge, with schools across the country continuing to experience severe recruitment and retention difficulties. The most recent findings of a survey by our principals’ and deputy principals’ association show that one in five schools has been forced to drop subjects, while three in four recently advertised positions drew no applicants. Most tellingly of all, just 3 per cent of school leaders believe the Government is doing enough to tackle the crisis.
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No other OECD country spends a lower proportion of GDP on education than Ireland. Why?
The failure of successive governments to ensure the availability of affordable accommodation affects all of society, but there are some obvious sector-specific measures that would drastically improve both recruitment and retention in schools.
Teachers must be offered contracts of full hours upon initial appointment, promotional opportunities in schools must be enhanced, the duration of the two-year Professional Master of Education (PME) must be halved to ensure the profession is an affordable one for more in our society, and teachers considering returning from jurisdictions such as Australia and Dubai must have their service abroad recognised for incremental credit.
In terms of senior cycle redevelopment, our campaign has been absolutely consistent: we want to maintain education standards and fairness for all students.
We are in favour of positive reform, but it must be educationally sound, and the appropriate resources must be made available in a timely manner. In this regard, we have expressed our grave concern around the accelerated pace of redevelopment. There is simply too much at stake for this not to be done properly.
Unsustainable workload, particularly that of a bureaucratic nature, is driving educators from the profession. The so-called “Croke Park” hours continue to frustrate teachers, causing huge resentment in schools across the country. They are viewed as a relic of austerity, and their usage and value must be properly assessed.
At third level, the unacceptably high student-lecturer ratio which spirals above the OECD average must be addressed. It results in an ever-increasing and unmanageable workload for academic staff with less individual attention for students. In addition, laboratories and IT equipment must be upgraded significantly.
The Government must commit to a long-term, sustainable funding model for the technological university/institute of technology sector, and the scourge of precarity of employment in higher education settings must also be eliminated.
[ Leaving Cert reforms to go ahead this year despite union oppositionOpens in new window ]
The housing crisis makes clear the stark need for highly skilled craftspeople. In terms of apprenticeship, we are seeking assurances that the national programme is not solely industry-led.
Apprenticeships must continue to lead the way on sustainability and innovation. Again, resourcing is key - course specifications need to be updated in line with recent technologies, and funding must be provided.
The failure of some education and training boards (ETBs) to properly implement the terms of an agreement for adult educators is unacceptable. These educators, often teaching the most vulnerable in our society, deserve much better. Meanwhile, we know little more this year about the vague concept of the “FET College of the Future” than we did last year.
We balloted members across the ETB sector and received an overwhelming mandate for industrial action in relation to the actions of management that sought to make unilateral changes that ignored the terms of collective agreements and increased workload. Put simply, we absolutely insist that any agreements we sign up to are honoured by all parties, and our congress will make this clear.
Across all sectors, we need to see more urgency from the Department of Education and the Department of Further and Higher Education in providing comprehensive guidelines and professional development on the appropriate (and inappropriate) usage of artificial intelligence. Being reactive here is not an option, particularly in relation to the area of student assessment, including for senior cycle.
We look forward to welcoming Minister for Education Helen McEntee and Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless to our conference in Wexford, and we will be urging them and their Government to engage constructively with us to further enhance the service to students in second-level schools, further education and training centres and third-level institutions.
It is important to remember that when this country was in severe recession, our education system kept producing top-quality graduates and attracting critical foreign investment. Now, more than ever, in an increasingly uncertain and challenging world, we need to give our students every chance by addressing inequality and investing in education.
David Waters is president of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI). The union’s annual congress takes place from April 22nd to 24th in Wexford
