Teachers union warns school autonomy could lead to more inequality
More autonomy for schools could lead to greater inequality for students, according to the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI).
It comes after two government reports which have examined giving schools more control over their budgets.
The government reports suggest giving more autonomy to individual schools would allow them to control their budget in much more detail.
However, the ASTI have warned that this could lead to pay scales for teachers, with schools in better off areas being able to afford better teachers.
Diarmaid de Paor, Deputy General Secretary of the ASTI, has warned this could lead to inequality.
He said: "It has to be embedded in a national framework which ensures fairness. Fairness for the teachers themselves, but also for the students and for the schools.
"It has to ensure that they get the same standards and that it is not at the whim of local management to suddenly decide that they know better and they turn the whole system on its head."
The union of secondary teachers argue that schools have enough autonomy at the moment.
They say that the government report contradicts itself, and that autonomy has not worked in other countries.
One of their fears is that it could lead to rivalry between schools to secure the best teachers.
At the moment though all proposals are stalled until the appointment of a new Education Minister.
