Galway second-level schools to lose equivalent of 37 teachers

By TOM GILMORE GALWAY'S second-level schools are set to lose the equivalent of 37 teachers this year due to the cut to the guidance counselling provision. The knock-on effect could see higher level maths and physics hit worse of all, according to the new Galway-native President of the Teacher Union of Ireland, Gerard Craughwell.[private] 'It is completely unacceptable that a county such as Galway will lose the equivalent of 37 teachers from September. 'The new austerity agenda means that guidance counselling will now have to be provided from inside the quota on the timetable and out of school resources, which will cause schools to lose a teacher in other areas,' says Gerard. 'It is the more specialised subjects that will suffer most, such as higher level Maths and physics where there are small numbers and sadly some principals may have to decide that this no longer justifies a teacher,' he added. The new TUI President also says that this will result in subjects such as higher level and lower level maths having to be delivered in the same classroom, and this mix does not always work to the advantage of the students. But he admits that, as there is a statutory obligation on schools to provide guidance counselling, many principals will have little option but to make the cuts. Gerard, a native of Salthill, says that while he is honoured to be at the helm of the TUI he takes over at a time where the casualisation of teaching sees some young teachers getting as little as five hours work per week. Parents subsidise young teachers 'I know some young teachers in Dublin who are getting as little as five hours of work per week and their parents are subsidising them in order for them to survive. 'They are sitting around in school staff rooms hoping they can get an hour's work if some other teacher suddenly gets sick of is called away and right now 30 per cent of teachers being employed are part-time,' he added. Gerard says he wants to see a return to a situation where young teachers can enter a career and not just a part-time profession, and this is for the benefit of the teachers as well as students. 'It should not be a case of a principal saying to a young teacher that if needed then they will be called but if not they will have to find casual work elsewhere. 'Students build up relationships with a teacher, good or bad, and there is no continuity of service if that teacher is moved on. The long-term effect is not good for education,' he says. He says that three of his main areas of activity during his term as president of the TUI will be for greater fairness, respect and justice for the teaching profession. He also feels that the way that wages for young teachers who start this year will be cut by a further 14 per cent will result in more of them seeking work abroad. If a young teacher is lucky enough to get work on full hours every week he or she will now get approximately €27,000 a year compared to €35,000 in the past. 'But as high as 90 per cent of young teachers now start part-time and many may earn only €13,000 or €14,000 a year,' says Gerard, who added that it could be up to five years before many new teachers get more than 11 hours of classroom work a week. As president of the TUI he represents teachers in vocational schools, community schools and colleges as well as lecturers in third-level institutes of technology. He has been a teacher of Business and Information Technology in Dún Laoghaire Senior College since 1996. Gerard took a circuitous route to teaching, including spells in both the Irish and British armies as well as holding different positions in private sector employment.[/private]