Slow handclaps, loudhailers and silent protests are just some of the ways delegates at the teaching unions’ annual conferences have welcomed ministers for education over the years.
Helen McEntee, on her first outing to the Easter conferences, looks unlikely to face too much in the way of disruption from the floor. The fact that the public sector pay deal runs until June of next year also means salaries and related conditions will not feature as prominently as in years past.
Nonetheless Ms McEntee is likely to hear how at second level there are often large class sizes, over-stretched pastoral support systems for students and facilities unsuited to modern teaching and learning.
Here are four issues likely to dominate the agenda during conference season.
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An ‘ever worsening’ teacher supply crisis
It sounds like a paradox: there have never been so many qualified teachers in the State, yet schools say they are experiencing “ever-worsening” difficulties filling vacancies.
Almost all primary schools, for example, had to employ unqualified individuals without teaching qualifications as substitutes during the last year. At second level hundreds of vacancies led to one in five schools having to drop subjects.
In advance of the conferences Ms McEntee has pledged to shorten the time it takes to secure a permanent contract by a year and to allow teachers who qualify abroad to compete their teaching induction at home. This, she says, will make teaching a more attractive and sustainable career.
While it will get a cautious welcome it will not go far enough to meet unions’ demands such as a restructuring of salary scales, greater career progression opportunities, increased teacher-training places and access to more affordable accommodation.
Special education under strain
Schools are on the frontline of this issue as they seek to open special classes to meet growing demand and struggle to access supports needed to fulfil children’s potential.
Principals say they feel hindered at every turn due to insufficient supply of psychologists, therapeutic supports and an overburdened assessment of needs process.
While Ms McEntee announced plans to establish a national therapy service for schools over the weekend, unions say it will take a huge increase in staffing numbers and resources before it has any meaningful impact.
Leaving Cert reforms in the age of AI
Changes to the Leaving Cert aimed at easing some of the pressure that comes with high stakes written exams and broadening assessment over a longer period are due to roll out from September for fifth years.
The emphasis on project work has sparked anxiety among second level unions over possible difficulties authenticating students’ work in the age of sophisticated AI tools. Unions have expressed “grave concerns” over the speed of the changes.
Ms McEntee insists supports are being rolled out and sample exam papers are available 18 months before the first exams. However, she will have a job of work convincing unions the reforms are ready to begin.
Chronic underfunding of schools
One statistic set to be quoted across the conferences is the fact that latest OECD research shows Ireland ranks bottom of all member states for spending on education as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP).
It’s not quite the full picture. The distorting effect of multinationals in Ireland means GDP is not a reliable indicator. When measured as a proportion of public spending, for example, Ireland spends above the OECD average on education.
Nonetheless, schools are constantly in fundraising mode and rely on raffles and cake sales to cover basic costs like lighting and heating.
School capitation rates have been rising over recent years, while plenty of funding has been ploughed into school meals and free books. In these more uncertain economic times, however, Ms McEntee will surely face daunting challenges maintaining this level of investment.
