Sir, I refer to an article (March 29th) in which your Education Correspondent mixes "fact and fiction" to illustrate "the sometimes dusty realities of the way schools are run". By this mixture of fact and fiction he implies that holders of posts of responsibility in schools perform only trivial duties for their posts of responsibility.
This is grossly unfair to the vast majority of hard working teachers who perform various onerous duties such as that of year head, examinations co ordinator of transition year, co ordinator of the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, co ordinator of the Leaving Certificate Applied, co ordinator of physical education and games, editor of the school magazine, preparation of the school timetable, liaison with the Department of Education etc., etc.
It may be argued that school administrative structures need reform and that more posts of responsibility need to be created but this debate should be conducted in a manner that does not denigrate teachers who work in a whole variety of ways to enrich the education of the young people of this country. - Yours, etc.,
Assistant General Secretary,
Association of Secondary
Teachers in Ireland, ASTI House, Winetavern Street, Dublin 8.