CIARAN LANIGAN,
Sir, - Is it any wonder that the ASTI is undergoing internal division and recrimination after two-and-a-half years of fruitless industrial action over a pay increase which everyone agrees teachers are due?
Every way they turn, ASTI members find themselves stonewalled by the Minister for Education, Mr Michael Woods, who shows no imagination and no interest in a negotiated solution. The Minister will shortly finish his term in office and bid farewell to a Department in crisis and an undervalued, dispirited teaching force. It seems he does not even realise the lasting damage he has allowed to happen on his watch.
Can anyone point to achievements during his term of office? We are all too aware of his failure to affirm and motivate teachers, failure to resolve the industrial dispute, failure to resource schools properly, failure to develop and promote educational ideas, failure to impose teacher and parental involvement on all school managements, failure to attract enough graduates into teaching or enough students into science subjects, failure to establish a meaningful staff support system, etc., etc. Meanwhile, his bright idea of bringing in outside supervisors will only further the frustration and divisions in schools.
The education system is full of bright, talented people, but Mr Woods is not one of them. - Yours, etc.,
CIARAN LANIGAN,
(ASTI member),
Killorglin,
Co Kerry.