Sir, - It is not true to say that "teachers are accountable to no one" (Paul Lanigan, November 8th).
In my own work with a number of second-level schools in the mid-Leinster region for the past 10 years I have found teachers to be most accountable in their work, not least with respect to how they exercise their responsibility to their students. Their accountability to students, which is their ultimate domain of accountability, and in particular to their students' future career prospects, has, for example, made teachers cautious in their response to new curriculum proposals which have yet to prove their legitimacy for the further professional and personal development of their students.
An ongoing accountability which teachers experience is that of preparing their students for national examinations. Advocates and facilitators of school and curriculum development, such as myself, ignore this "value factor" of accountability and responsibility of teachers' practices at our peril. It is, as parents will acknowledge, a significant influencing factor in the classroom work of teachers, and as increasing demands are being made on curriculum overload in our schools, it is one that is increasingly challenging for teachers. Nor do teachers require an external motivation factor, such as the publication of school league tables, for them to be accountable to their students. Accountability is an inherent part of their professional work and, as such, they are doing admirable public service for their students and for our society.
We should be prudent in how we interpret "accountability" and how it is being realised in the classroom practices of teachers. - Yours, etc.,
Jim Callan, Senior Lecturer, Education Department, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co Kildare.