TEACHERS' CONFERENCES SPECIAL:The new leader of the Teachers' Union of Ireland is determined to highlight the strong case for more education funding, despite the economic downturn

THE NEW general secretary of the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI), Peter MacMenamin is a vastly experienced figure with a strong commitment to equality issues. This week will mark MacMenamin's first address as general secretary to TUI members after 30 years of activism with the union. Twenty years ago to the day, he occupied the honorary role as president of the union. Today, he will take to the rostrum as general secretary.

Educated at Gonzaga College, Milltown, Dublin, MacMenamin studied science at UCD where Jim Dorney - his predecessor as TUI general secretary - was a classmate.

Like many senior trade unionists in the education area, MacMenamin has plenty of experience at the chalkface. He taught for 15 years at Tallaght Community School before taking a post with the advisory body on curriculum issues - the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment - in the early 1980s.

He has worked full-time with the TUI for much of the past two decades, gaining a reputation as a shrewd and measured figure. Now 61, he comes to the post at a time when many contemporaries are smelling the roses and enjoying the quieter life.

You only have to be in MacMenamin's company for a passing moment to see his energy and enthusiasm for the challenge ahead.

For MacMenamin, the continued failure of the Government to fund the education service will be the dominant issue.

Like other teacher unions, the TUI emerged empty-handed from a recent meeting with Mary Hanafin where the Minister spoke about the darkening economic picture and the need to tighten belts.

He does not believe the threat of an economic downturn should be used to hack back on education spending. Rather, he believes it should stiffen the resolve of the education minister to gain additional resources in the interests of both the society and the economy.

The lesson from the past is clear, he says. It is our investment in education which drove our economy. Let's not repeat the mistakes of the 1980s where education cutbacks produced recession and stagnation.

The key, he says, is to link education spending to GDP or wealth. OECD figures show Ireland is near the bottom of the EU league when it comes to education spending relative to GDP.

"We are being told in some quarters that this is not the time to spend on education. My view is that we cannot afford not to spend on education now."

The report of the Expert Skills Group which identified the need to upskill some 500,000 people is, he says, a roadmap for our future economic and social progress.

"We in education are working in a knowledge area . . . we are working in a knowledge society so we are going to move up the value chain. That is where our future lies."

He says he would like to see the Minister for Education arguing strongly around the Cabinet table that education is a special case, and saying cuts should not be imposed on education because it is a special area of investment.

In all, the TUI now represents over 13,000 members. Of these, 9,000 work in post primary schools and in further education, while 4,000 are third-level staff, mostly in the institute of technology sector.

With many TUI members working in disadvantaged areas, the pursuit of greater equality across the education system is another key priority for MacMenamin. Yes, we have an excellent education service, he says, but it's important to remember that "it is excellent for some; those who are selected and those who can pay. But it is not excellent for everyone. There are still huge numbers of our children who are being denied the same opportunities. And this cannot continue."

He points to the right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which says higher education is a right for all in accordance with their abilities. "We don't have that. In Gonzaga in the 1960s virtually every boy headed off to university. Today, 40 years later, there are schools in many disadvantaged areas where only a small minority, if any, proceed to third-level."

The selected nature of schools and the divided society will be another conference theme. Unlike others in education, the TUI has been robust in its criticism of fee-paying schools who "cherrypick" the brightest students and use their admission policies to exclude disadvantaged and newcomer children. The union supports the withdrawal of State support - now running at over €90 million per year - for private schools that discriminate in this way.

Mac Menamin is circumspect when asked to assess the performance of Mary Hanafin in education. He has no interest, he says, in making personal criticisms. "I would always be disappointed with any minister who does not increase the level of spending and I will never stop being of that view."

Most other European countries have identified - even in these more difficult times - how education spending can be the springboard for economic and social progress, he says.

"Yes, we have made progress in Ireland but we are still seriously lagging behind when it comes to investment in schools and in our education system."