Latest news with #TUICongress
RTÉ News
22-04-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Education funding 'paltry and pitiful'
The General Secretary of the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) Michael Gillespie has said that the Irish education system continues to suffer from chronic and deliberate underfunding, which he described as a legacy of austerity prolonged by political indifference. Mr Gillespie made the remarks during an address to the TUI Annual Congress which is taking place in Wexford. "Our economic circumstances are no longer an excuse for paltry spending and pitiful investment," Mr Gillespie said. "The time for hollow promises is over. What is needed now is decisive, transformative investment in public education - investment that recognises the value of our work and the needs of our students," he added. The theme of this year's TUI Congress is 'Address Inequality, Invest in Education'. The conference will be addressed by Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless later today and by Minister for Education Helen McEntee tomorrow. The event is being attended by over 500 delegates and guests, with motions being debated on issues such as pay, pensions, housing and the conflict in Gaza. Pay On the issue of pay, the TUI General Secretary told delegates that a 1% pay increase linked to a local bargaining mechanism under the current public sector pay deal had created uncertainty. "The remaining 2% of the possible 3% increase is not guaranteed and will likely become a key battleground in the next round of pay negotiations," Mr Gillespie said. "This places a heavy reliance on a future deal, and introduces a real risk of delay or dilution." "However, it is essential that productivity-linked increases under local bargaining do not become a Trojan horse for additional workload, work intensification, or unrealistic efficiency demands," he added. Burnout The TUI General Secretary said that excessive workloads and work intensification are breaking the teaching profession. He told delegates that members have repeatedly raised the alarm about an ever-increasing workload and never enough time, a spiral he described as unsustainable. "It is becoming a serious health and well-being crisis. Let us call it what it is: burnout and the burnout is real and impacting our profession," Mr Gillespie said. Teacher shortages The TUI conference was told that the problem of teacher recruitment and retention is a crisis of the Government's own making, and the inevitable result of repeated decisions to force the education system to do more with fewer resources. The General Secretary said that the union welcomes the recent decision to allow teachers to gain permanent contracts sooner but that this is not enough. "To tackle the teacher supply crisis, further urgent steps are needed before it becomes a national emergency from which as other countries have discovered there is no coming back from," he said. Mr Gillespie called for enhanced allocations for schools so they can offer full hours to teachers, clear career pathways and progression opportunities for teachers to encourage them to stay in the profession, and the removal of barriers faced by teachers returning from abroad must be removed, starting with recognition of teaching service overseas. Leaving Cert reform The TUI conference was told that accelerated Senior Cycle reform is the most urgent and demanding challenge currently facing second-level education. Delegates heard that teachers are being asked to absorb sweeping changes to assessment models and methodologies, all while maintaining their existing teaching commitments. "This is creating an unsustainable workload and stretching school structures to breaking point," Mr Gillespie said. He added that if the reforms are to succeed, structural supports must be put in place. He also warned that the rapid evolution of technology and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) had brought both opportunities and serious challenges which must be strategically integrated into the process, not simply added on, so they support, rather than burden, educators. Speaking ahead of travelling to Killarney, Minister for Education Helen McEntee said she wanted to do what she could to support teachers to make sure that Leaving Certificate reforms would be a success. She said it was "really important" for students that reform moved ahead. Ms McEntee acknowledged that there was further work to be done on a number of fronts, including in relation to support for teachers on the subject of AI. Teachers are concerned that AI could be used inappropriately by students working on projects that form part of their final assessments and that in seeking to verify that work is students' own, they may not be able to detect this. One motion due to be debated by ASTI delegates seeks a legal indemnity for teachers in such a case. "AI is already here and it is most important that teachers know how to work with it," Ms McEntee said.
RTÉ News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Bands for top Junior Cycle grades to be widened
It will be easier for Junior Cycle students to achieve the two top grades in their exams under changes to Junior Cycle grade bands announced by Minister for Education Helen McEntee. Marks for the two top bands, Distinction and Higher Merit, are being widened, making them easier to attain. The changes will come into effect for the more than 73,000 students due to sit their Junior Cycle examinations this coming June. A Distinction will now be awarded for marks from 85% upwards. It was previously awarded for marks from 90%. A Higher Merit will now be awarded for marks between 70% to 85%, instead of marks between 75% to 90%. The changes have been announced as the minister prepares to address teachers at their annual trade union conferences today and tomorrow. "This will have a positive impact on students, ensuring their grades are more reflective of their work and effort, as well as of the work of our teachers," Ms McEntee said. "It can be expected that higher numbers of students will achieve Distinction and Higher Merit grades with this change. "They remain sufficiently broad to ensure that students can focus on learning and engaging in school, and on becoming independent, resourceful and confident learners, rather than focusing solely on examinations," she added. Ms McEntee is due to address primary school teachers attending their annual congress in Galway this morning. She will then travel to Killarney to address post-primary ASTI delegates whose annual convention gets under way later. Meanwhile the Teachers Union of Ireland begins its conference in Wexford. Concerns around Leaving Certificate reform are expected to dominate debate at the gatherings in Killarney and Wexford. Teachers are calling for the deferral of plans to introduce new curriculums in a range of subjects, starting this coming September, which will see at least 40% of marks in all subjects awarded on the basis of assessment as opposed to exams. Talks took place between the teacher unions and the Department of Education and those talks are due to resume after the Easter break. Teacher shortages and heavy workloads to be highlighted at TUI congress The TUI will highlight concerns around teacher shortages, unsustainable workloads and Senior Cycle reform at its annual congress. The TUI said it welcomed plans announced yesterday which would see newly qualified teachers becoming eligible for permanent contracts sooner, but added that specific additional measures are required to tackle the teacher supply crisis. "Schools must be given enhanced teaching allocations so that they can provide full jobs," the union said. In terms of Senior Cycle reform, the TUI said that while it is in favour of positive reform, appropriate resources must be made available in a timely manner. The theme of this year's TUI Congress is 'Address Inequality, Invest in Education'. The conference will be addressed by Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless today and by Minister for Education Helen McEntee tomorrow. The event will be attended by over 500 delegates and guests. Motions will be debated on issues such as pay, pensions, housing and the conflict in Gaza. A motion on Artificial Intelligence calls for education professionals to be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to integrate AI into their teaching practices. The TUI represents 20,500 teachers and lecturers in second level schools, further education and training colleges and centres and Technological Universities/Institutes of Technology.
