The proposal by the Teachers' Union of Ireland that parents should sign a guarantee that their children will observe a code of behaviour at school could hardly be more timely in the light of recent events in Britain. With the closure there of two schools last week because of violent behaviour and last year's murder of the headmaster, Mr Philip Lawrence, a wide ranging debate on the issue of school discipline and parental responsibility has forced its way onto the political agenda for the forthcoming general election. Indeed, the British Prime Minister, Mr Major, moved swiftly last week to reproach his Education Secretary, Mrs Gillian Shepherd, for suggesting that schools should bring back the cane.
This State, thankfully, has been spared the kind of indiscipline that now seems almost commonplace in so many British classrooms. Teaching is still a highly regarded profession and teachers enjoy a high level of esteem in the community.
That said, it would be foolish to believe that Irish education is locked into some kind of age of innocence, in which pupils, parents and teachers work in harmony. In some of the more deprived areas of our major cities, the reality of classroom life is, increasingly, not that dissimilar to the British experience. And, as any teacher, social worker, or policeman will attest, the breakdown of family structures in such areas makes it likely that the situation will get worse before it gets much better. In these circumstances, there is a special onus on Irish policy makers to learn from the British experience and to formulate practical steps for the benefit of parents, teachers and their pupils.
The TUI's prescription making parents responsible for their children - has much to recommend it. Such an approach is central to the recently published Children's Bill, in which the Government proposes that parents could be required to pay compensation for damage caused by their children and that a strict 6 p.m. curfew could be imposed on persistent offenders.
There is also an urgent need to review and streamline the range of sanctions available to schools. Specific sanctions like suspensions and expulsions - should be imposed for specific breaches of discipline. The present situation, in which schools often have to decide on the best course of action without adequate guidelines from the Department, places an unfair burden on school principals.
But there is a clear need for something more than a disciplinary approach. The Government also has a responsibility to ensure that each child is placed in the most appropriate educational environment. In practice, this means more special schools, more funding for remedial education and an end to the endemic underfunding of primary education. There is also much work to be done on the school curriculum, especially at second level, to make it more relevant to the life and experiences of a new generation of Irish children.