Donegal teacher takes up post as head of the ASTI

The country’s biggest second-level teachers’ union – the ASTI – gets a new President today.
Gerry Breslin  has stated that his key priorities for the coming year are protecting the education service from further cutbacks and improving the pay and conditions of recently qualified second-level teachers.
Commenting after his appointment, the Bundoran native committed to work to convince the politicians of this country that the cutbacks approach is not working.
He said Cutbacks have failed to deliver economic recovery, but have deepened the recession and accompanying social crisis
Mr Breslin expressed his determination  to improve the situation whereby almost a third of second-level teachers are in temporary teaching positions and 50% of second-level teachers under the age of 30 are on contracts of one year or less.
He described that situation as simply unacceptable.
The ASTI represents 17,500 second-level teachers in schools all over the country.