The Congress of Catholic Secondary Schools Parent Association has received numerous calls from parents around the country - most of them angry, all of them outspoken - leaving us in no doubt as to their feelings about the teachers' industrial action.

As a national organisation, the CSPA is eager to represent parents from the 339 schools which fall into the category of voluntary Catholic secondary schools. There are 130 schools affiliated to CSPA with many more unaffiliated schools invited to attend regional meetings.

As usual, our segment of the Partnership in Education has not been asked what we want. Both the Department of Education and the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland, would use us as leverage to apply pressure to the other side. The fact that we might have an opinion has never crossed their minds.

Many different suggestions have been made to us. Some have said they will travel by bus or train and march on the Dail, others have suggested an e-mail campaign to lobby TDs. All have one thing in common: they want to see the Department and ASTI initiate some form of talks. That seems unlikely at present with each side showing an equal lack of responsibility towards the students.

The Minister is refusing to meet anyone outside the Programme for Partnership and Fairness and the union is awaiting a meaningful invitation. The teachers may be sitting in their classrooms, but the parents are the only ones asked to sit in waiting.

Teachers withdrew their voluntary labour knowing it would close the schools. Part of helping our children to maturity is teaching them to accept the responsibility for the consequences of their actions. Teachers are not doing that.

This campaign may have been within its legal rights but parents are questioning its moral right. Some are saying it is the greatest example of how unaccountable teachers are. It has been a particularly cruel method to employ for students.

Imagining teachers available to teach and not being allowed in is a peculiar form of torment to visit on any child. They have made the student the piggy in the middle: saying effectively "we're here to teach you and you can't come in".

The CSPA feels that parents have been patient for long enough. Neither side has made any move, never mind a significant move, to initiate talks. ASTI has been asked to make a concession for Leaving Certificate students, it has refused. The main concern of parents is getting their children back into the classrooms where they belong. We would like them to do just that.

Today, tomorrow and Thursday, we will be saying to all parents, get your children into school. The responsibility for their health and safety rests with the boards of management so on those days we would recommend that the boards of management be available to supervise or provide a paid alternative. If your child is sent home from the morning session, return them in the afternoon when most schools do not have a break.

Parents have received a lot of information through the media over the last weeks and this has led them to believe that teachers don't have it too bad. Ninety-four days holidays, five days personal leave and 30 uncertified leave days seem to reflect reasonably good conditions of employment.

The main area on which parents agree is that the incremental salary scale needs adjusting. The starting pay of £20,636 while you gain experience has not received much comment but most parents have said the salary scale should go higher and the top level should be reached sooner.

At a recent meeting, we brought up the topic of teacher accountability. When asked what teachers should be accountable for, some of the answers were: an interest in the child, tone of the school, receptive teachers, less feeling of authority, and of that authority being challenged. It was felt that performance should not just be measured on results, but should include the well-being and mental health of the pupil.

It would seem that we want our teachers to do much more then just teach. Their pay should reflect what we are asking them to do.

Teachers talk about stress and admittedly the last 10 to 15 years have brought about many changes in the classroom. The main change is the pupil.

They may not all be the tough and recalcitrant adolescents portrayed by some, but social changes such as changing family circumstances, changing attitudes to authority and the problems of drink and drugs have all affected the teacher. Life is tougher for the 21st century parent and teacher. A good teacher will work long hours and do much more then just teach. If a teacher is acting effectively in loco parentis, it would be difficult to quantify all the work they do.

ASTI says it is concerned with teachers' "pay and conditions". When holidays are mentioned, we are reminded that long holidays are a part of their conditions of employment. Teachers are seeking to change the pay part of "pay and conditions"; could the parents possibly ask them to change the conditions part?

Surely a substantial pay rise should have some conditions attached to it? Conditions which parents would like to see are parent-teacher meetings in the evenings; no in-service training during school hours; teachers to be like any other professional and take responsibility for their own job worthiness, in other words, keep themselves employable by updating their knowledge and skills in their own time. Parents are concerned with the continuous erosion of the school year. Half days, teachers meetings, training, school development plans etc all eat into the class contact time.

Our curriculum has expanded and our students expect higher standards. Tremendous pressure is placed on them to complete the course in an intense manner. Parents also feel intimidated. When they are unhappy with a teacher, the process of complaining is daunting. It is a system put in place to suit both the teachers and the schools but fails to be user-friendly for parents. We need to change it.

Teachers may be surprised that parents feel intimidated but the greatest example of intimidation occurred over the work-to-rule days. Parents offered to supervise but were told that schools using parental supervision would feel the effect of withdrawal of voluntary labour for longer. Parents on the phone are sure of what they want but do we have the heart for such a request? Can we cope with the fall-out? When the ultimate pressure is applied to ensure our capitulation - no exams, no points, no future for our children - just how far will we go? Ruin our children's future?

Teachers do possess the ultimate threat. As adults we would hold out on our own behalf but we will not consciously follow any course that will be detrimental to our children. It has been suggested that if we put enough pressure on the Minister, he will cave in and teachers will get what they want and we will get our children back into the classroom. As parents you have to decide if you want a "cave in".

ASTI wants parents to urge the Minister for Education to engage in meaningful talks. We hope to do just that. There is nothing parents would like better then to see talks that would mean something to our children.

Barbara Johnston is a spokeswoman for the CSPA.

Rite and Reason has been held over due to shortage of space but will appear tomorrow.