Sir, - As a secondary school student, I am becoming increasingly disgusted by the ASTI's actions. I feel I speak for many when I say I have lost all respect for my teachers because of their selfish attitude towards both Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate students. The teachers seem to believe themselves to be more important than other government-paid bodies by making such an unrealistic, unfair and, in my opinion, undeserved pay claim, and by refusing to go through the standard benchmarking procedure in order to achieve it.
I am in fifth year so I cannot begin to imagine the pressure final-year students must feel, but I am also angry that, since last September, I have constantly been reminded that the Leaving Certificate is a two-year course. For our class it has been reduced to a year-and-a-half! If we students, the future generation of Ireland, are to learn from the actions of our teachers, the country will be in turmoil when we enter the workforce. I admire the Government for refusing to back down. The teachers are exploiting us. We are the pawns while they play a dangerous game with our education and our future. - Yours, etc.,
Rachel Pentony, Bryanstown, Drogheda, Co Louth.