For the first time in several years, this year's teacher conferences take place in an atmosphere of relative calm. The bitter and divisive ASTI dispute has ended.
Teachers have received a cumulative 21 per cent increase from the benchmarking process and the national pay deal. Better still, there is no sign that the teaching profession is losing its attraction for young graduates. Applications for the Higher Diploma in Education have reached record levels as mature students spurn office jobs for what is seen as more creative and challenging work in the classroom. Primary teaching is also retaining its popularity.
The Minister for Education and Science, Mr Dempsey, will attend all three teacher union conferences this week after they agreed to a new format which allows for greater interaction and more real communication between the Minister and delegates. It has been clear for some time that the traditional set-piece ministerial address achieves very little. Successive ministers have been advised by Department officials to demand a change in format. Mr Dempsey has pushed it through.
The Minister has been pursuing a very different agenda in education. He seems less obsessed than some of his predecessors with looking after the interests of what he calls the "usual suspects" in education - the teaching unions and management bodies. Instead, he has been pursuing a pro-parent agenda which places a stronger emphasis on information and performance. He has signalled his opposition to the current ban on school league tables, stating that meaningful, rounded information should be available to parents. He has also introduced a new common school year and more "parent-friendly" arrangements for parent/teacher meetings.
Mr Dempsey can expect plenty of criticism from delegates this week. There is understandable resentment among teachers about the decision to inspect schools two days before Christmas to ensure they had not closed early. There will be criticism that Mr Dempsey's harsher agenda has demoralised teachers and left them feeling undervalued.
If previous years are any guide, Mr Dempsey can expect a much tougher time from ASTI delegates than from the INTO and the TUI who have been more measured in their criticisms. ASTI has acquired something of a reputation as the enfant terrible of the trade union movement; indeed, some of its senior figures appear to revel in this image.
In an article in today's edition, a former ASTI central executive member, Mr Joe Coy, argues that the union may no longer represent teachers on the ground. It is dominated by a small group working to their own agenda. He points out how only a small percentage of members bother to attend branch meetings. The challenge for the ASTI is to re-invigorate itself by reaching out to members. It must work to ensure that its decisions reflect the views of a significant majority of its 17,000 members.