The Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan TD, has accepted an invitation to attend the union’s Education divisional conference in April. It’s the first time a minister from the department will attend the conference since the division was formed in 2012.
An IMPACT delegation met with the minister last December, and covered a wide agenda that included Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) hours and income, school secretaries pay and conditions, Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) policy, the future role and structures of Education and Training Boards (ETBs), the implications of merging IOTs and technological universities, and the effect of cuts on the School Completion Programme (SCP).
IMPACT deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan commented, “We outlined the breadth of the IMPACT membership in education, gave a briefing on the main issues currently exercising the minds of our executive, and sought the minister’s intervention to address a number of key concerns.
“The minister commented very positively on both the scope of the IMPACT membership in education, and the emphasis the union places on the delivery of quality services, alongside the needs of our members” he said.
Kevin was accompanied by IMPACT official Dessie Robinson, and DEC members Gina O’Brien, Dave Sexton, Michael Smyth, and Majella Carew.
The Education Divisional Conference will take take place between 8th and 10th April 2015 in Galway.
