Sir, - I have been fortunate enough to have spent 32 years teaching secondary pupils in Dublin. I have the greatest respect for them, for their parents, for my colleagues and also for the aspirations of the Irish people as enacted by the Government and delivered via the Department of Education and Science. I have been engaged in teaching at every level, from probationary to principal, as well as having marked Leaving Cert scripts for many years.
I am now caught up in a dilemma, forced to choose between conflicting values which carry almost equal force: the welfare of the pupils versus the welfare and morale of the secondary teachers of the future.
The current impasse is not insoluble. If the Government were to make an immediate payment to secondary teachers on condition that it would be adjusted within the terms of the (inevitable) final settlement and without prejudice to any interested party, we might be able to get on with our core business of teaching and governing. I fully support the cause of the ASTI in seeking a just reward for the crucial task of teaching, and I also appreciate the dilemma of the Government in trying to address the legitimate aspirations of a divided but passionately and verifiably committed teaching body.
I write this letter knowing it may not please many people; my defence is that I act in good faith and in the hope that the legitimate aspirations of thousands of ASTI members and of the communities they serve can be met by a simple initiative on the part of the Government of Ireland. - Yours, etc.,
John Costello, Ballinteer, Dublin 14.