Many parents remain oblivious to the fact that special education tutors aren’t required to have any supplementary qualifications in order to instruct children with extra needs, say secondary educators. A yearly meeting held by the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland (ASTI) in Wexford revealed that essential educational roles, including those who coordinate support for students with extra needs, lack official recognition or necessary formal training.
Special education teacher from Dublin, Natalie Doyle Bradley, articulated that although these coordinators have a crucial part to play, there exists no formal documentation detailing their tasks, standardised preparation is absent and no focused support services are available. Natalie went on to highlight the negative impact of this inconsistency on Ireland’s education system, as it brings about unequal access to support for students with extra requirements.
Without established instructions, she noted, special educational needs coordinators often find themselves figuring out their obligations without sufficient backing, thus bringing about variations in the quality of the instruction and assistance given to the students. Natalie also mentioned that the ‘overwhelming’ and ‘vague nature’ of the duties often leads to stress and exhaustion, disrupting their ability to help students and collaborate with educators and parents.
The conference voted in favour of a resolution demanding the Department of Education to formalise the role of special educational needs coordinators and to ensure standardized tasks, training and support are in place.
The meeting also exposed a rift among members regarding plans to conduct a survey regarding a possible merger between the ASTI and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI). The member survey, slated happen between April 10th and 25th, could potentially open doors for a formal vote at a future date. The survey would also probe members’ attitude towards the creation of a unified education union and the continuation of further integration efforts.
The ASTI president suggested that unity amongst secondary level teachers could bring about a ‘significant change’ in Irish education. However, concerns were raised over the potential dilution of secondary teachers’ voices as the TUI also includes members from the further education and third level sectors.
In a letter penned to delegates, Philip Irwin, who previously presided over the ASTI, voiced his concerns about the TUI’s greater diversity potentially leading to factional disputes. He highlighted a past resolution from the 2015 union convention, which urged the ASTI to initiate dialogue with the TUI towards creating a unified representation for secondary teachers. Mr Irwin indicated his belief that this directive had not been followed and put forth the notion of halting the survey.
Later this week, Kieran Christie, the current general secretary of ASTI, mentioned to delegates that former directives did not rule out a union with non-secondary level teachers. He further stated that negotiations geared towards unity would only progress if it assured that every existing member would be accommodated, and the new structure would honour the standard decision-making procedures of both ASTI and TUI. He stated, depending on the consensus of the members, they would either continue or cease the merger process.
In isolation, the union passed resolutions aimed at altering the appointment methods of middle management posts. Delegates mandated the union to ensure that credit given to seniority in interviews for roles of responsibility is reinstated. They also demanded that these interviews be conducted by an “impartial interview panel”, excluding any current or past principal, to maintain fairness and equality for all candidates.
In a separate move, ASTI is considering the introduction of gender quotas to better represent women within the union. Despite women constituting 70% of the union’s members, their representation in committees and decision-making spheres remains inadequate. The union intends to address this issue with its branches in the forthcoming months. Emer Haughey, an ASTI member, suggested that achieving gender balance could foster a new wave of leaders that truly reflect our society.