AI, pay, workload to be debated at ASTI convention

Pay, teacher workload, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by students will be among the topics debated at this year's annual convention of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland (ASTI).

Around 500 second-level teachers from across the country will gather in Wexford for the conference which runs from today until Thursday.

Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton will address delegates this evening.

Artificial intelligence

A number of motions will be debated on changes to the Leaving Cert, including a lack of clarity regarding the use of AI by students for completing project work known as Additional Assessment Components (AACs).

A recent ASTI/ REDC survey of 1,591 teachers found that an overwhelming majority expect difficulties verifying that the work has been completed solely by students.

Pupils sitting the Leaving Cert in 2027 will complete an AAC worth at least 40% of their final grade in nine new and revised subjects as part of the new Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme.

The nature of AACs varies across subjects, but can involve students writing and submitting a report based on a project or research they have undertaken.

Teachers have also expressed concerns that students attending schools which do not have adequate facilities and resources for effective implementation of AACs may be disadvantaged.

Delegates will demand significantly increased IT resourcing, including the provision of laptops for students to enable them to navigate the new Leaving Cert programme effectively.

In addition, ASTI members will warn that there has been a lack of training provided to teachers implementing new and revised Leaving Cert subjects, as well as increases in teacher workload and assessment loads for students.

Pay and conditions

Amid soaring fuel prices, concerns around pay and the cost-of-living are expected to feature prominently at this year's ASTI convention.

Talks on a new public sector pay deal are due to begin in the coming weeks and a number of motions relating to wages will be debated by delegates.

One of the resolutions states that the ASTI should escalate industrial action in September unless there is a 6% increase to all levels of pay scales.

Another motion states that the ASTI should demand wage increases to match cost of living increases.

On the issue of teacher workload and stress, one motion up for debate calls for the establishment of an independent and mandatory audit of stressors and psychosocial hazards in second-level schools.

The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) began its annual congress in Killarney yesterday, with delegates hearing that teachers need a substantial pay settlement from any new pay deal to manage the impact of rising living costs.

The Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) will begin its gathering in Kilkenny today.