Inspectors under fire for publicly criticising principal [Independent.ie]
- Published: 01 March 2011
DEPARTMENT of Education inspectors were yesterday criticised after rapping a principal on the knuckles for not keeping a school register for 10 years.
The register contains details of each pupil's name, address, date of birth, religion, annual school attendance record, parents' names and their occupations.
The register is in addition to two separate attendance rolls, which record the daily attendance for each class and for the school as a whole -- these were properly filled in by school Sn Coill Mor, Drummin, Westport, Co Mayo, over the 10-year period.
School principal Fine Gael councillor Teresa Maguire said last night there was no register when she took over as principal a decade ago and she did not realise one was necessary.
She only became aware of it before a school inspection last year, the results of which have just been published on the department's website.
"I said straight away 'hands up, I didn't keep a register'," she told the Irish Independent.
Now she is wondering if she is paying for her honesty as her school has been publicly criticised for not having the register. The school has since addressed the problem.
The register is kept on the school premises and is rarely consulted.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
