Madam, - In a contribution to The Irish TimesEducation Supplement in 1998, I warned that fundamental changes to our system of education could be covertly introduced through the new industrial relations system then being implemented.
In this manner, public discussion and democratic accountability could be avoided.
The Review Body on Higher Remuneration in the Public Service has now recommended that the performance of leading academics in third-level institutions be assessed by a committee dominated by business executives because of their experience of such processes in the private sector.
It is unlikely that such a proposal would have been included in the O'Brien Report without the agreement of the Minister for Education and Science, Mary Hanafin.
Through such a mechanism huge changes in our institutes of technology, universities and colleges of education and in their ethos may be "rolled out" on an incremental basis.
The assumption in the report that the activity of third-level institutions and of their leaders is analogous to that of businesses is entirely false and damaging. This view is supported by much research in the field.
In a recent Editorial you rightly criticised the proposal by the Minister for Education to dispense with individual professional inspection of teachers at primary and secondary level.
The suggestion that this role would be assumed by the principal teacher is but another example of the imposition of business models on the education system.
Like third-level heads, the principal is to be converted from a leading colleague into a line manager as in business models.
I am confident that The Irish Timeswill ensure the widest discussion on the proposals contained in the O'Brien Report before they are allowed to proceed.
Such a discussion will be brought forward at the seminar on Commercialism in Education sponsored by the education department of Trinity College and the education unions to be held at the college on Saturday, November 17th. - Yours, etc,
PADDY HEALY, School of Physics, DIT, Dublin 2.