The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
INTO cast proud eye 150 years back
GREAT strides in education have been made in the past 150 years according to Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) representative Denis O’Sullivan, who welcomed delegates to Killarney this week for the annual conference, said.
It is a great boost to local INTO branches in Kerry to host this year’s INTO conference which celebrates 150 years of the body – the largest teaching organisation in the county.
To mark the historic occasion teachers at the conference stepped back in time in traditional dress (as pictured).
The INTO has been fighting for improved education for the primary school children and for teachers’ rights for the past 150 years and over this time the union has had a major impact in meeting the educational needs of the country. “It has grown to be a powerful organisation with an impact on educational policy matters and teachers rights,” said Denis O’ Sullivan, who is a teacher at Holy Family National School in Rathmore and a member of the organising committee of this year’s conference.
“It is very significant to mark the 150 years and to mark the gains made in education.” 650 teachers across the country are in attendance at the conference representing 32 counties. There are 35,000 members in the INTO.
Pay has dominated the three day conference at the INEC in Killarney with the INTO calling for equal pay for all teachers.
A new pay arrangement for newly qualified teachers from 2012 put them on a lower scale than their colleagues meaning that over a 40 year career they will earn €100,000 less than their colleagues.
Education Minister, Richard Burton, attended Tuesday’s session of the conference.
A gala dinner was meanwhile to take place on Tuesday night to mark the extraordinary milestone in the INTO history.