The TUI may not have indulged in the ritual Minister-bashing customary at teacher-union congresses, but delegates dealt a huge blow to his plans when they rejected Whole School Evaluation.

The union's congress in Galway also demanded a series of amendments to the Education Bill. These include a commitment that the Act will not alter the terms and conditions under which teachers are employed.

Angry Youthreach teachers spoke of a nine-year dispute which left them still without permanent jobs or a career structure. The Minister's announcement of additional places did not find favour with teachers working in an "atmosphere of insecurity and uncertainty".

A past president of the TUI, Billy Fitzpatrick, has been appointed as education and research officer with the TUI. A teacher at Pearse College, Crumlin, Dublin, Fitzpatrick has served on the NCCA and NCVA and is TUI representative on the Leaving Certificate Applied steering committee. His priorities include the Education Bill, the Teastas report, the adult-education Green Paper, further-education development, curriculum development and the pupil-teacher ratio.

The restoration of pre-1983 levels of guidance counsellors exercised the minds of delegates, who were told that for many students "counsellors were like something from The X-Files - something they have heard about but never seen" .

About 1,000 more guidance counsellors are needed if a ratio of 250 students to one counsellor is to be re-introduced. All schools should have a guidance counsellor and a remedial teacher, congress was told.

Paid substitution was demanded for teachers and lecturers absent from classes on in-service courses, Department of Education business, VEC business, illness or extracurricular activities.

The pupil-teacher ratio came under fire again as delegates demanded a reduction to 16-to-one.