West Cork teacher named as new president of INTO

Anne Horan from Ballineen in West Cork has been named the new president of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO).

Ms Horan has been a member of the INTO since she began teaching in 1980 and has worked at all levels of the union from staff representative to member of the Benefits Fund Committee to a full member of the Central Executive Committee.

Following graduation from Mary Immaculate College, Ms Horan began teaching in Dunmanus NS, a one teacher school on the Mizen Peninsula in 1980, before moving to Limerick.

She is currently a teaching principal in Carrickerry NS, a 3-teacher rural school in West Limerick.

The INTO said: “Anne has taught children of all ages and classes over her career. She sees education as important in helping each child to achieve their potential in life.

“She is a firm believer in the importance of personal development and enjoys studying to further her own knowledge base. Anne is forever grateful to the teachers and colleagues who provided support to her since the beginning of her career.” Stressing the importance of attendance in union events, including Branch Meetings, she will, during her presidency, strive to encourage participation at all levels.

Ms Horan said: “The redevelopment of the curriculum marks an exciting new chapter for our primary schools.

“INTO is committed to securing face-to-face training and robust resources to support teachers through this important transition. While challenges lie ahead, together we’ll ensure every child continues to receive the high-quality education they deserve.” Some of these challenges ahead have been discussed over the last three days at the INTO’s annual congress, which took place this year in Galway.

Ms Horan previously told The Echo: “The main topics up for discussion are underinvestment in primary education, workload for teachers and principals, the teacher supply crisis, and special education.

“People are getting very frustrated with these issues. Principals get calls at 8am saying someone is sick; there’s no sub available.

“That leaves you with two options. You can split the classes, meaning the third class teacher would get some fourth class students too, and in a smaller school you could end up with a lot of classes in together.

“The second option is taking special education teachers away from their normal work and putting them into a classroom.” She added that special education in general needs to be better resourced, with more investment into new classes opening in schools in Cork and across Ireland.