Secondary and primary school teachers have urged the Government to make a commitment to reduce class sizes in order to tackle disruptive behaviour and to improve the teaching environment for teachers and students.
The three teachers' unions - INTO, TUI and ASTI - all opened their conferences today and the Minister for Education has been addressing delegates. Ms Hanafin will deliver her main speech to the ASTI this evening.
Among the main issues on the teachers' agendas are class sizes, discipline, staffing, benchmarking and educational disadvantage.
The ASTI conference in Cork heard that a serious reduction in class sizes in secondary schools is essential if there is to be any real improvement in student behaviour.
Meanwhile, the INTO has asked for a meeting with the Taoiseach on the question of smaller class sizes in primary schools.
The INTO expressed disappointment at remarks made at its conference today by the Minister for Education. Ms Hanafin said her priority would be to reduce class sizes for disadvantaged pupils. However, the INTO wants a commitment to smaller class sizes in all schools.
Speaking at the ASTI event, the body's president Susie Hall said that at a time when the country is experiencing unprecedented levels of wealth, it was "nothing short of a scandal" that we continue to have some of the largest class sizes in the European Union.
"At junior cycle level there are 35,000 lively adolescents being taught in classes of more than 30 and up to 90,000 lively adolescents in classes of over 25," Ms Hall said.
ASTI President Susie Hall
Ms Hall said that if a class period of average duration was 35 to 40 minutes it required no advanced qualification in maths to work out that each child individually would probably receive less than one minute of the teacher's time.
"A recent phenomenon in our schools has been the influx of large numbers of students from an increasing diversity of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, whose first language is not English.
"Helping international and Irish students to integrate and helping non-English speakers to cope and learn successfully, without proper recognition by the government that this would require a serious reduction in class size, has stressed many teachers to the limit."
Ms Hall noted an ASTI survey last year which showed a pattern of "continuous disruptive behaviour" by a small number of students. A third of teachers had taught in classes where students were under the influence of alcohol or drugs; over half had suffered verbal abuse from students.
"I would like to make it quite clear that we will not tolerate our members having to work in these conditions. Unacceptable behaviour is always unacceptable and political correctness must never be allowed to cloud the issue," Ms Hall added.
She said there must be recognition that some students whose behaviour is seriously and persistently disruptive may not be suitable for teaching within a mainstream class.
"Resources must be put in place for them so that the education of the other students is not impaired. The balance needs to swing back to the rights of the majority of students, who are not disruptive and who simply want to get on with their work."
Ms Hall noted that of those teachers forced to retire early due to ill health, the majority are diagnosed with stress-related illnesses.
She also called on the Minister for Education to address the "totally unfair disparity" in pension entitlements, whereby members of the Garda and the prison service can retire on full pension after 30 years, while teachers must serve 40.
An OECD report last year revealed that Ireland is the 4 thwealthiest OECD country, Ms Hall said. Yet out of 26 countries surveyed, only one country spends less per student as a percentage of GDP on second level education. She said the statistic should make Ireland "thoroughly ashamed".