More than 330 retired teachers still working despite pledge to use graduates [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 24 May 2011
MORE than 330 retired teachers were still working in classes this month despite pressure to ensure schools give work to thousands of unemployed teachers.
Figures from the Department of Education show that 186 primary teachers and 147 second-level teachers on the most recent payroll runs were retired.
The data does not include those paid by vocational education committees (VECs), which manage more than one-third of the country’s second-level schools.
Despite huge anger at teacher union conferences about the use of retired teachers and unqualified people to take classes, formal discussions have yet to take place between education partners and the department to ensure schools have proper access to qualified unemployed teachers for substitution work.
More than 3,000 unqualified people have been working in primary classrooms since September, 400 doing so for at least 10 weeks. Another 1,200 retired primary and second-level teachers have been hired for substitution in the current school year.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) decided at its annual congress last month that members will no longer work with unqualified people employed to teach from next September, a policy which had not been due to take effect until 2013.
Full Story: www.examiner.ie
