IPPN

Published: 21 November 2008

Source : Irish Examiner

VOCATIONAL school principals will not spend their time minding classes that require supervision because of the Government's decision to cut back on payments for substitute teachers, a conference has heard.

Kevin O'Meara, president of Principals and Deputy Principals (PDA) which represents managers in 240 vocational schools and community colleges, said the removal of substitution cover for teachers absent on school business or suffering illness from January will have a catastrophic effect on the day-to-day running of schools.

"Huge practical difficulties will arise from this decision, which will impact on field trips, participation in inter-schools games and sporting activities, outdoor education programmes and a host of extra-curricular activities," he said.

Mr O'Meara told the PDA annual conference in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan that this will be worsened by the uncertainty of coping with the number of teachers who may be absent due to uncertified sick leave on any given day, as the Department of Education will no longer pay substitution costs for these absences either.

School management bodies have warned that boards may have no choice but to send students home in January due to these restrictions.

"It is outrageous that the proper, professional structure for supervision and substitution introduced five years ago can be arbitrarily taken away at the stroke of a pen," said Mr O'Meara, principal of Plunkett College in Ringsend, Dublin.

"We must not allow a situation develop whereby we spend much of our time as principals and deputy principals minding classes as was the case prior to the new arrangements for which we fought so hard, " he said.

Martin Wallace, principal of Castletroy College in Limerick, said there is a real danger that students might not be able to attend the Young Scientist Exhibition in January because of the changes, as schools will not be able to free enough staff to accompany groups to the event.

Meanwhile, reports published on the Department of Education website have again highlighted inadequate facilities in some of the country's schools observed by the department's inspectors.

Among those to have whole school evaluations published was Scoil Chríost Rí in Ennis, Co Clare, where inspectors said the design and condition of the buildings could have a detrimental effect on the school's work and delivery of the curriculum.

They referred to the inadequate dimensions of many classrooms, the absence of space for support work and the isolation of some prefabs from the main building.