ASTI members have voted overwhelmingly to withdraw from the Croke Park hours by 68.5% to 31.5%.

Commenting on the ballot result announced today, ASTI President Máire G. Ní Chiarba said that teachers believe the Croke Park hours are unproductive and impact negatively on students’ education.

Ms Ní Chiarba added that schools can continue to operate fully without the Croke Park hours: “The Croke Park hours are highly prescriptive and unproductive. Teachers believe that these hours are among the least productive tasks undertaken in schools and that they do not improve teaching and learning. Schools can function normally without the Croke Park hours, just as they did prior to their introduction.”

The ASTI President said today’s ballot result is a very strong statement from ASTI members to the Government that they are determined to reclaim their terms and conditions following years of cuts and reduced resources: “What teachers are saying is that they want to be able to get on with their jobs, instead of having to waste time completing bureaucratic box-ticking exercises. The Croke Park hours divert teachers’ time away from core duties such as teaching, learning, and building relations with their students.”

“The Croke Park hours were introduced at a time of unprecedented cutbacks in education which have diminished resources for schools and increased the workload of teachers. Of necessity, all teachers are doing more with less.  However, the Croke Park hours are needless and unnecessary and place additional constraints on teachers’ time and workload.”

ASTI Standing Committee will meet tomorrow to consider the outcome of the ballot. The ballot turnout was 76 per cent.

Source ASTI Press Release

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