THE Association for Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) says that issues regarding indemnity for the Leaving Certificate grading process ‘can and must be resolved’.
The ASTI has advised its members not to engage with the new grading system until a suitable indemnity is introduced.
The ASTI’s General Secretary, Kieran Christie, told RTÉ that the organisation currently had no confidence in the indemnity put before them.
“Up until this morning, teachers have been working on it where there is a doubt about the legal indemnity available,” Mr Christie said.
“I can tell you we will move might and mane to break this impasse and remove the barriers so teachers can get on with this work.”
The ASTI will meet again with officials from the Department of Education today as they seek a resolution.
Mr Christie outlined the concerns: “The legal expenses that will have to be paid if a teacher finds themselves subject to civil proceedings.
“The indemnity appears to only cover solicitor costs, but as you know there are usually a host of other expenses that need to be dealt with such as expert witnesses, sonographers and so on and we can’t have teachers on the hook for those.
“The indemnity document we were presented with, lacks specificity on that. And our legal advisors inform us that teachers could be caught for up to one third of the costs of the case.”
The ASTI have their own legal team working on the matter and Mr Christie added: “We believe they can be resolved and must be resolved.”
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