The teaching unions have reacted furiously to the demand by the Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, to change what he called the "dated format" of their Easter conferences, writes Seán Flynn, Education Editor.
Union sources have variously described the Minister's refusal to deliver the traditional ministerial address as an "insult" and a "calculated snub" to unions representing over 40,000 teachers.
One source said it was "arrogant in the extreme, it is our conference and there is no way we are going to change it for him".
Education sources say there is "virtually no prospect" of the Minister attending any of the teachers' conferences over Easter - unless the unions agree to replace the traditional ministerial address with a forum on the future of education. This now seems highly unlikely.
The Minister is making no public comment until the unions respond to his letter in which he signals his unease with the current format.
Mr Dempsey wants to replace the traditional ministerial speech with a forum styled on 17 public meetings currently taking place across the State. These are entitled Your Education System (YES).At these meetings, the Minister has confined his remarks to thanking people for attending.
In a letter to the three teaching unions, the Minister has said that the traditional model places an onus on confrontation rather than real communication. Mr Dempsey was said to be furious after he was criticised at last year's TUI conference. He also received a cool reception at the ASTI conference.
One source said: "It is not as if the Minister is unwilling to take constructive criticism but there is a sense here that everyone is playing to the gallery... to the most militant section of their own membership. There is no sense that anyone is listening or communicating."
Mr Dempsey is also sceptical about the degree to which conferences represent the views of ordinary teachers.
Last year, the British education secretary, Mr Charles Clarke, refused to attend some teacher union conferences.
INTO general secretary, Mr John Carr, said the annual conference next month "affords the Minister an opportunity to speak directly to teachers outlining views and policy directions" and his attendance would be of benefit to the Minister and to teachers. The INTO will next week consider the proposal to incorporate a YES meeting.
ASTI's acting general secretary, Mr John White, said it was difficult to know what could be achieved by scheduling three further YES meetings during the conferences.
TUI general secretary, Mr Jim Dorney, said he would be consulting with the other unions as well as formulating their own response.