Information from the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) annual conference reveals that the payment scheme and work conditions for roughly 3,000 tutors in the grown-up education sector will be normalised after a long-standing disagreement within the sector. As it stands, a considerable number of tutors receive per hour payment, only for teaching hours, without any entitlement to holiday pay or pension.
The agreement, which the State Minister for skills, Niall Collins confirmed, caters to tutors in the further education sector. Stemming from a Labour Court ruling in 2020, yet delayed due to funding and legal issues, this agreement puts tutors in the same bracket as Youthreach resource workers.
Despite opposition from some tutors and TUI members, the meeting expects to address it with at least one crisis motion on Thursday. Colm Kelly, TUI’s assistant general secretary, agreed there was residual dissatisfaction over the deal, which presents a pay scale from €34,000 to €63,000, inclusive of increments for long service.
As Mr Collins asserted, he thinks the deal “provides a career trajectory in the public service for the tutors”. The discussion also shed light on the issue of the effect artificial intelligence could have on education. The delegates passed several motions, insisting that machines can’t substitute for teachers and advocating for open debates about its rapidly growing usage and enough resources for assessing its potential advantages and drawbacks. The conference also highlighted job security worries in educational institutions, emphasising the importance of academic integrity.
Diarmuid Naessens, who is part of Dublin’s Youthreach sector, stressed the importance of the union’s role in making sure technology is harnessed as a means to provide educational advantages to their students. He also voiced concerns about how employers might deploy such technology as a way to save resources and potentially put educators out of a job in the future.
Ursula O’Connor, who heads the union’s branch in Donegal, pointed out that education is not a commodity, but a public benefit. She raised concerns as to what some governments might do if they found they could deliver coursework without the need for a teacher.
Antoinette Rourke, from Dundalk IT, spoke of the potential artificial intelligence (AI) has to transform education across all levels and in all its facets. She emphasized that AI could make learning more personalised, efficient, and accessible, but however, we need to approach this with caution so as to ensure its use aligns with our societal values and ethics.
She expresses that it is their responsibility to guarantee that these advancements and innovations contribute to the greater benefit of society. Rourke argues for the need of credible assurances and pragmatic steps from the government and other bodies to protect our educational establishments in terms of AI. She underlines that AI-related decisions cannot be made behind closed doors and calls for an open and inclusive conversation that involves everyone – from teachers, lecturers, tutors, and other educators, to students, parents, and policymakers.
Finally, Mr. Naessens urged that attendees should return the following year, ready with better and more comprehensive proposals on the topic.