Quinn order on qualified teachers [IrishTimes]
- Published: 28 May 2011
SCHOOLS HAVE been instructed to prioritise the hiring of qualified teachers over unqualified and retired teachers from September.
“Extremely limited circumstances” in which schools can employ unqualified teachers were outlined in a circular issued by Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn yesterday.
A school can employ an unqualified teacher only “where a school would have to close or send students home otherwise”, Mr Quinn said in a statement.
The Minister directed all schools to employ “only appropriately qualified registered teachers” and give them priority over unregistered and retired teachers.
Schools will have to keep a list of qualified teachers who are available at short notice for substitute teaching work.
If schools cannot find an unemployed teacher, they can then employ a retired teacher or a teacher qualified in a different sector for a limited period.
Only after these options are exhausted can a school employ an unregistered teacher and for a maximum for five days in a row.
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