| "Under-Funding and
Business Models are damaging the Education System at primary,
secondary, further and third level" |
Election Address
Give Education a New Priority for its Own Sake!
(Leagan Gaeilge anseo )
Paddy Healy, Immediate Past President of TUI, is the only candidate chosen and endorsed by the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) to contest the Election to Seanad Eireann on the National University of Ireland (NUI) panel.
Paddy is also the only candidate on this panel endorsed by the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), the union of university lecturers and researchers.
In addition, the following individuals wish to have their endorsement of his candidature recorded.
- Mr Tim O’Meara, President of TUI, St Enda’s Community School, Limerick
- Dr Joe Brady, President of IFUT, Head, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Policy, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Mr Don Ryan, Vice-President TUI, Limerick Senior College
- Professor Anthony G. O'Farrell, NUI Maynooth Maths Department, IFUT Vice-President.
- Mr Fergal McCarthy, National Honorary Secretary TUI, St Brogan’s College, Bandon, Co Cork
- Mr Daithi Simms, National Treasurer, TUI, Head of Department of Electronics, Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT)
- Professor Breandan O Cochlain, Past President IFUT, NUI Galway (NUIG)
- Mr Tony Deffley,Past President TUI, Davitt College, Castlebar, Co Mayo
- Ms Bernie Ruane, Chair of Community and Comprehensive Sub-Committee of TUI, Shannon Comprehensive School, Shannon , Co Clare
- Ms Marie Humphries, Equality Officer Dublin City PP Branch, TUI, Whitehall College of Further Education, Dublin
- Professor Kathleen Lynch, Professor of Equality Studies, University College Dublin (UCD)
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- Ms Josephine O’Donnell, Chief Executive Officer, Co Longford Vocational Education Committee
- Ms Ita O’Donovan, Choral Conductor, Director Lassus Scholars, lecturer, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)
- Mr Joe O’Donnell, Stranorlar Vocational School, Co Donegal
- Mr Oliver Mc Cormack, Tullamore College, Co Offaly
- Ms Mary Friel, Principal, Margaret Aylward Community College, Whitehall, Dublin
- Dr Eileen O’ Herlihy, Post-Doctoral Researcher, University College Cork (UCC)
- Professor Matt Hussey, Director of the Faculty of Science, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)
- Professor Declan Kiberd, Professor of Anglo-Irish Literature, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Professor Tadhg Foley, Department of English & Chair of the Board, Centre for Irish Studies, National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG)
- Dr Gerry Mc Ruairc, Lecturer in Education, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Dr Daire Keogh, St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Vice-President IFUT.
- Ms Alice Darcy, Post-Graduate Researcher, Geography/Ecology, University College Cork (UCC)
- Dr Maria Davoren, Research Fellow, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)
- Dr Des O'Mahony, Lecturer in Physics, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)
- Dr Sorcha Healy, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Tyndall Research Institute, University College Cork (UCC)
- Dr Barry Glynn, Post-Doctoral Researcher, National Diagnostics Centre, NUI Galway (NUIG)
- Mr Paul O’Hara, Lecturer in Engineering, Institute of Technology, Carlow
- Mr. Colm Long, Lecturer in Engineering, Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT)
- Mr Billy Darcy, Agricultural Advisor, Teagasc, Thurles, Co Tipperary
- Mr Aiden Bell, Lecturer, Institute of Technology, Sligo
- Mr Martin Marjoram, Lecturer in Mathematics, Institute of Technology, Tallaght
- Ms Ann Murphy, Lecturer in Computing, Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown
- Mr Eddie Conlon, Lecturer, Faculty of Engineering, Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT)
- Dr Tom Dooley, Lecturer in Engineering, Dundalk Institute of Technology (DKIT)
- Sr De Lourdes Healy, Presentation Sisters, Philippine Region
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Paddy Healy lectures in Physics at Dublin Institute of Technology and carries out research in the field of musical instrument acoustics. He is a member of the Irish Science Teachers’ Association (ISTA) and of the Institute of Physics.
He lives on the north side of Dublin city and is a native of Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
Under-funding
Tomorrow is too late for children. Yet schools must turn to the St Vincent De Paul Society to fund psychological assessments of special needs students. Courses in women’s studies, drama, old Irish and music are threatened at third level. Why? These are the consequences of deliberate government policy.
Under-funding and Business Models are damaging the Education System at primary, secondary, further and third level. Education for its own sake must be given a new, higher priority in Irish society. Funding must be raised from the current low levels to the highest international standards. New provision must be made for pre-school education to help break the cycle of disadvantage.
Indiscipline in Schools
As President of TUI, Paddy led a vigorous campaign for a remedy to indiscipline in schools, leading to the development of the Behaviour Support Service and important legal changes to protect teachers and schools. However, the Minister has rejected a key recommendation of the Task-Force on Student Behaviour to improve staffing levels in second level schools. She also decided to restrict the provision of the behaviour support room to a mere 36 schools on a pilot basis. This means that little will change without further vigorous campaigning.
Resources and Disadvantage
Paddy has campaigned for reduction in class size at all levels, greatly increased
funding for disadvantage, for psychological services, for special needs provision and additional resources for the teaching of students who do not have English as a first language. Further measures are required to reduce early school leaving. Improvement of school facilities must be accelerated.
Further Education and the McIver Report
As President of TUI, Paddy led a campaign to end discrimination against 30,000 students in Further Education, including PLC courses, by implementing the McIver Report. Important steps forward have now been achieved in this area though much more remains to be done. Greatly increased resources are also required in Youthreach, VTOS, Traveler Centres, adult and second chance education, literacy and basic education provision.
Under-funding of Institutes of Technology and Universities
Paddy has always held that education and academic endeavour must never be subordinated to short term economic goals. The under-funding of Institutes of Technology and Universities in their main role as centres of learning and scholarship must be remedied, in the main, by increased public investment.
Paddy has campaigned vigorously against the subordination of teaching, research and scholarship in Institutes of Technology and Universities to narrow economic goals and market forces. This subordination has led to the imposition of inappropriate and damaging business models. He has strongly opposed the transfer of resources out of teaching and out of academic areas deemed not to be cost effective. His contribution to preventing the reduction of funding to musical provision in the Institute of Technology sector is testimony to his approach in these matters.
Post Graduates and Post Doctoral Fellows
Paddy is currently campaigning for a new deal for post graduates and post-doctoral research fellows and an end to the disgraceful use of these colleagues as cheap casual labour in teaching and research. Paddy is committed to fighting for continuity of employment and an appropriate career structure with pensions for post-doctoral researchers.
Student Fees
The imposition of fees on postgraduate students, part-time and evening students, and those at work, is a serious discrimination against those concerned. The free fees system must be retained and extended. The growth of registration fees must be halted and maintenance grants should be substantially increased. Access to adult education and to third level education must be widened.
Defend Collegiality!
The ethos of professional commitment and collegial collaboration is central to a successful education system. Recent government proposals and initiatives are threatening to undermine this ethos at primary, secondary and third level by the imposition of managerial systems linked to business models. This must be firmly resisted.
Health and Social Services
The under- funding of education, health, social services and other provision for human need at a time of huge current budget surpluses is indefensible. Government is applying an embargo on recruitment in these areas though there are large gaps in provision which sometimes endanger lives. Health and social services professionals are carrying totally intolerable case loads and being put under huge stress by the inability of the system to adequately provide for those in their care.
Pensions
Paddy has played a major role in protecting public sector pensions. He played a key role in resisting the introduction of non-core, non-pensionable pay in the public service and in preventing the dilution of the convention that pensions rise in line with the pay of serving peer. As President of TUI, he strongly resisted attempts to undermine the three strands of the teachers early retirement scheme.
He strongly supports unions which are striving to protect and extend good pension systems in the private sector.
Future
Paddy Healy will continue to work for these objectives in the coming years. His record of achievement as President of TUI shows that, if elected, he would be an effective advocate for education and public services in Seanad Eireann.
Vote Paddy Healy No 1
Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) candidate for Seanad Eireann
Endorsed by Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT)
Paddy Healy is the sole candidate being endorsed by the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) and by the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) on the NUI panel. |
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