An insider's guide to education

That was a very lively discussion on Joe Duffy's Liveline last week when Marian College, Ballsbridge teacher Bernard Lynch defended his refusal to attend parent-teacher meetings. Lynch, a member of the ASTI Standing Committee, provoked a heated debate. Lynch is a doughty fighter. Last year, the ASTI paid his legal fees of €76,000 in a High Court case about his right to attend its executive meetings.

Lynch handled himself very well on air, despite the brickbats from listeners. He made one very sensible point - why should teachers be expected to attend a potentially important meeting with parents after a full day's work?

That said, there are others who accuse Lynch of damaging the public standing of the teaching profession, an accusation he would strongly refute. One of the striking features of the Liveline debate was the anti-teacher sentiment flowing from so many listeners. The memory of the ASTI dispute still lingers, it seems.

You can hardly expect the most probing journalism from UCC News at a time when the campus is locked in a bitter civil war over its president, Gerry Wrixon. But the latest issue makes little attempt to hide its support for Wrixon. A former vice-president, who has now gone to the private sector, is interviewed about recent negative publicity in the media about UCC. Those who feed negative news to newspapers are condemned for damaging the institution and their motivation is questioned.

Noel Keenan accepts that universities should be places where argument and debate thrive. But he says that some people, having lost the internal argument, are running to the papers. "To me, that's not productive," he writes.

After a very busy period, Mary Hanafin has been unusually quiet in the past few weeks. The minister and her senior officials are busy working on a major document that examines the various schemes to combat disadvantage.

This must be the most rewritten document in history. Originally commissioned by Noel Dempsey, it was extensively revised by the former minister before he left office. Now, Hanafin and her officials are busy making further amendments.

The main findings have already been leaked - i.e. that many of the schemes are wasteful and incoherent - but the minister wants to put her own stamp on it before bringing it to Cabinet shortly.

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