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.”
Around 200 conference attendees listened as the minister encouraged for action to be taken.
INTO Northern secretary Gerry Murphy says INTO has opposed academic selection in the North for 50 years.
“We are happy that the minister is now encouraging us to take a more robust approach to campaigning on this matter,” he said.
“The Northern committee will consider his request and I would suggest he is pushing against an open door with the INTO. We will be happy to incorporate this into our broader campaign in the run up this election.”
INTO chairman Mark McTaggart added: “Not only have we failed to get rid of a system that allows academic selection at 11, a number of integrated schools have decided to move to include academic results as criteria for selection to their schools.
“It remains unacceptable that this form of educational apartheid is tolerated by our society.”