O'Keeffe in new U-turn on teacher sick leave regulations
- Published: 13 December 2008
John Walshe Education Editor
A second climbdown on substitute cover for teachers who take uncertified sick leave was announced yesterday by Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe.
This time, it is primary schools who will benefit from an additional €2m up to next July. It follows an agreement last week to give second-level schools an extra €2.7m.
The extra money will go a considerable way to averting school closures and pupils being sent home next month.
Primary schools will get substitute cover for teachers on uncertified sick leave except for the first day of absence. In other words, most primary schools will have to provide 'cover' for the first day of uncertified sick leave absence by one teacher.
This is usually done by dividing up the pupils to other classes. But paid substitution will kick in on the second day.
In a school where more than one teacher is absent on the first day of uncertified sick leave, substitute cover will be provided for the second and subsequent teachers that are absent. In one- and two-teacher schools, cover will be provided where any teacher is absent.
Last night's statement also disclosed that each post-primary school will have a defined number of hours of cover outside of the existing supervision and substitution scheme.
The Irish Independent has learned that this will be calculated by the number of pupils in a school with a minimum number of available hours for all schools with less than 100 pupils. "Thus, for the remainder of the school year, there will be 16 hours substitution cover allocated for schools with 100 pupils or less, 32 hours for a 200-pupil school and 64 hours for a 400-pupil school, for example," says the draft circular.
There will be a full review of the substitution and supervision scheme and related matters in conjunction with the school management bodies and teacher unions at both primary and post-primary levels.
The breakthrough at primary level follows talks with the school managerial bodies. Paul Rowe of Educate Together thanked the minister for listening to the views of Primary Management Bodies, and for inviting them to make proposals to him on this matter.
Cooperate
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) said the union would co-operate with the proposal from the department as a gesture of good will.
"This is an interim solution," said INTO general secretary John Carr, "which will enable us to reduce the effects of the Budget cutbacks on children."
The Irish Primary Principals Network gave a broad welcome to the announcement. But director Sean Cottrell said IPPN was still concerned that it still left children without a teacher for the first day of absence.
Fine Gael education spokesperson Brian Hayes urged parents and teachers to continue pressure Fianna Fail.
