Will there be a teacher’s strike in the autumn?
Minister for Education Helen McEntee during her address at the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) Annual Congress at Whites Hotel, Wexford town on Wednesday. Photograph: Patrick Browne Pat Leahy and Jack Horgan-Jones join Hugh Linehan to look back on the week in politics: Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday at the age of 88. Thoughts now turn to the election of his successor and whether they will be viewed to be as tolerant and progressive as the late pontiff. Minister for Education Helen McEntee has her work cut out for her to keep secondary school teachers onside with both the Teacher’s Union of Ireland and the Association of Secondary Teachers of Ireland voting to ballot on industrial action if plans to reform the Leaving Certificate from this September are not paused. And the Government has told RTÉ that State funding of more than €60 million for its redundancy plan will hinge on the broadcaster hitting yearly targets as it reduces its headcount. Plus, the panel picks their favourite Irish Times pieces of the week: