The former president of Marino teacher-training college, Caoimhe Mairtin, was interviewed by consultants last year as part of an inquiry into alleged misappropriation of funds at the Christian Brothers-run college.
The department inquiry, conducted by Pricewaterhouse- Coopers (PWC), cleared Marino of any misuse of public funds.
But PWC's decision to interview Ms Mairtin will raise further questions about the report on allegations of bullying commissioned by the governing body and conducted by Farrell Grants Sparks. Ms Mairtin was not interviewed by the FGS inquiry, which cleared Marino management of bullying charges.
Interviewed on RTÉ's flagship Prime Time programme last night, she said: "I was not contacted at any time in relation to the FGS report. I expected I probably would be. I would have welcomed an opportunity, not just in relation probably to my own situation . . . but also the key position I had . . . left me with particular information in relation to staff and their issues. I would have thought in terms of providing a whole report . . . that an interview with me would have been helpful."
Ms Mairtin secured a €500,000 settlement last year after taking a High Court bullying case against the Christian Brothers.
In other developments Minister for Education Mary Hanafin is set to push for the appointment of a third-party mediator in a bid to resolve the growing crisis at the Marino teacher-training college. Staff at the college are said to be incensed by the FGS report.
Yesterday the INTO's John Carr raised questions about whether the consultants' report prepared by FGS had been "doctored" before publication. But this suggestion was rejected categorically by a spokesman for the governing body at MIE.
Greg Sparks of FGS told The Irish Times last night he could not comment on the Marino affair for reasons of client confidentiality.
Education sources say the Minister will do everything in her power to resolve the difficulties at Marino, but her power to intervene is limited.
Although it receives State funds, MIE is a privately run organisation. This means that she cannot send in an inspector to review the situation.
Sources say the Minister is anxious to see some conciliatory words from the governing body of MIE. Once this is done, she will push for the appointment of a third-party facilitator.
Yesterday the interim director of Coláiste Mhuire, Pat Diggins, told a staff meeting that Marino would welcome this kind of intervention. It is understood that a shortlist of names is being prepared by MIE.
The INTO said yesterday the only way forward was to tear up the FGS report which is, they claim, unsafe and unsound. The union also accused MIE of allowing "activities like conferencing to take precedence over teacher training". In summer 2005, teacher in-service education was sacrificed it said for the commercial consideration of renting out the premises to Camp Ireland.
