An insider's guide to education

• The Great Noel Dempsey Roadshow ended in Kilkenny late last week as the Minister sought to convince ASTI members to do the right thing on supervision.

The ballot, which began yesterday, is now expected to be a close-run thing. Most observers reckon it will still be a No - if only marginally. Win or lose, Noel Dempsey will emerge unscathed. While some were sceptical about the roadshow, even the begrudgers have to admit he has played a blinder. He has fought the good fight - and he has impressed the public (and even some ASTI members) with his sincerity and conviction. In Cork last week, he stayed in the meeting room until midnight listening to ordinary teachers.

Meanwhile, some of his entourage have been shocked by the bad manners on display from a very small but vocal minority of ASTI members, some of whom even turned to one side like sulky children as the Minister responded to their questions. It is not the sort of behaviour that wins friends and influences people.

• More bad publicity for the Institute of Technology sector

after the recent controversies in Limerick and Tralee. Now comes news that lecturing staff at IT Carlow have called for the resignation of acting director, Mr Brian Bennett. A vote of no confidence was passed by 93 votes to 17.

According to the TUI, the vote was the result of "the rapidly deteriorating industrial relations over the last five months and the repeated failure of the Institute to honour agreements". Apparently, the lecturers are angry about the decision not to fill senior posts in the business school, in engineering and computers.

• Rumours of the demise of the Exploring Masculinities (EM) programme at second level have been greatly exaggerated. The programme - which challenges gender stereotypes - is hated

by Catholic parents' groups. In spite of this, the Department is now preparing more in-service programmes for teachers. It may also be incorporated into new health-education programmes

at second level. One of the project team, incidentally, is Paddy Mulcahy, a candidate for the vice- presidency of the ASTI.

• There is gathering excitement out in Montrose, where RTÉ is set to appoint a new Education and Science Correspondent. The salary is nothing like that paid to the likes of Pat Kenny and Marian Finucane, but there is still a strong field.

The absence of a dedicated education corr has been a strange omission for the national broadcaster - especially given the huge improvement in news coverage. For the past three years, education has regularly topped the news agenda with ASTI cutting up rough and the primary schools facing regular rat infestations. But RTÉ, despite some ambitions for a digital education service, had no correspondent in the area.

• Keep an eye on Fine Gael's deputy education spokesman, David Stanton. A former teacher, he is a very impressive member of the Dáil committee on education.