The president of the ASTI, Ms Susie Hall, yesterday narrowly won a seat on the new Teaching Council following one of the most closely fought battles of the election campaign.
After an unexpectedly strong showing from Ms Joan Sheehan of the TUI, Ms Hall won the seat by just 41 votes in the Community and Comprehensive sector.
Speaking yesterday to The Irish Times, Ms Hall said she believed the demands of her role as president, coupled with a vigorous campaign by the TUI, had contributed to the closeness of the result.
Some 35 candidates put themselves forward for 16 seats on the Teaching Council, whose members were elected using a new gender-balanced method.
The new council will supervise and monitor standards in the profession.
The full list of those elected is :
At primary level: Mr Seán Rowley, Ms Maree O'Connell, Mr Micheál O Griobhtha, Ms Joan Ward, Ms Dympna Mulkerrins, Mr Milo Walsh, Mr Justin McCarthy, Ms Mary Culhane and Ms Eileen Ward.
At second level: Mr John Keane, Mr Dermot Quish, Ms Bernadine O'Sullivan, Mr Tommy Glynn, Ms Susie Hall, Ms Elizabeth Cronin and Mr Patrick McQuaile.