The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) annual conference reaffirmed its commitment to ending academic selection in Northern Ireland.
While the state ended its sponsorship of the 11-plus in 2008, grammar schools adopted their own unregulated system.
Addressing the conference, education minister John O’Dowd said there had been no real campaign against selection in the last five years.
Passing union motions, Mr O’Dowd said, is not enough.
He added: “There is no point in warm words or passing motions or applauding a union spokesperson who says he’s against academic selection.
“You need to get out and do something about it. That’s the bottom line.
“If unions were to take the same approach in terms of industrial action against academic selection in the same way they have done against assessment – does anyone in this room really believe there would not be change? I for a fact know there would be.”
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