Once again the prospect of school closures in our secondary sector looms large on the horizon and the Minister for Education and Science is again satisfied to play the role of onlooker while the prospects of thousands of students are affected in a protracted wrangle between the Government and teachers. Dissatisfaction among school teachers is growing. The ASTI has been joined in the dispute by the TUI, which also rejected the Government's offer on payment for supervision and substitution. The deal was narrowly accepted by the INTO.
These ballots are much more than straws in the wind. They reflect the reality of considerable unease, unhappiness and discontent among all teachers. Where is the forum on education suggested by my colleague and former spokesperson on education, Deputy Kenny, which was accepted by the Minister, but not acted on? This would serve as a measure to rebuild partnership in education and a forum for consultation with teachers to express their real concerns about life at the coal face in our schools.
Does the Minister share my belief that if he fails to resolve this dispute before 4 March he will do enormous, perhaps irreparable, damage to the spirit of co-operation and partnership in education in our schools? Teachers are undoubtedly the best people to do supervision and substitution. Well intentioned third parties cannot do the job as well as teachers and may unintentionally damage the quality of education in certain schools.
This brings me to the Minister's contingency plan. Where is it? What communications has he had with individual school authorities to date? What are the instructions he has issued regarding the funding available to them and the terms of employment that may be offered to individuals to undertake supervision and substitution? He cannot guarantee that life will continue unaltered, no matter what his contingency plan may be, in all schools after 4 March. I urge him to use his time between now and that date judiciously, to renegotiate with the teacher unions and use the industrial relations machinery of the State at his disposal. He should not, for the second year running, allow students to face uncertainty as they face a critical time in their school year. He should facilitate the maintenance of harmony in our staff rooms and not pit principals against their staff members. I urge him to act now before irreparable damage is done to our education system.
