An insider's guide to education
Relations between the teaching unions have been unsettled by the row over Noel Dempsey's threatened no-show at the Easter conferences.
There was an expectation that the unions would present a united front in response to the Minister's letter in which he criticised the dated format of the annual teacher conferences. But these hopes were dashed by the INTO's decision to break rank with the TUI and the ASTI. The INTO has agreed to explore the possibility of holding a Your Education System (YES) style forum at the conference - but the others are digging their heels in. "Not even God Almighty will tell us how to run our conference," as one union chap put it over the weekend.
The end result? A tense relationship between INTO and some senior colleagues in the ASTI and the TUI. Don't expect a revival of the Teachers United campaign in the short-term.
The irony is that both John White of the ASTI and Jim Dorney of the TUI would probably like to have adopted a softer line. But the ASTI is still under the spell of uncompromising elements and the TUI could not give in on this one. It appears the Department took exception to the tone of remarks made by Derek Dunne at last year's TUI conference. The union believes this criticism is unjustified. "If you give it, you have to take it," appears to be the TUI line.
ASTI president Pat Cahill caused something of stir recently by asking Fianna Fáil if he could address its annual conference on his pet theme - the surge in teenage drinking.
Cahill's request was politely refused by the Fianna Fáil mandarins. He was told that the conference agenda was set and could not be altered. Now, where have we heard that before?
More on the Brady revolution at UCD, where new boss Hugh Brady is continuing to shake off the cobwebs.
At a recent meeting with administrative staff, Brady said he wanted to reassure all that they were not expected to be at their desks at 4.30 a.m. Some UCD "lifers" are struggling to keep up with Brady's punishing early mornings and late nights.
His business-like style is also attracting plenty of adverse comments from what one might call the "usual suspects" in the chilly Belfield canteen. But Brady is pressing on regardless. Next up? The appointment of two new vice-presidents.
This week's USI conference will be an opportunity for the union to revive its profile, after what one might discreetly call a low-profile period in the union's history.
Current USI president Will Priestley is an impressive, confident performer, but, understandably, he has been unable to command the same space because of the dearth of headline-grabbing student issues.
The candidates to succeed Will include a former Tory and a leading light in the Socialist Workers' movement. The new president will be chosen later today at the conference in Ennis, Co Clare.
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