IPPN

Published: 15 May 2009

Source: independent.ie

By John Walshe Education Editor

Friday May 15 2009

ONE in 10 school principals -- over 400 in all -- are expected to retire this year, new figures reveal.

The flood of retirements is much higher than usual and has been prompted, in part, by pay cuts, pension levies and the prospect of the Government taxing retirement lump sums.

The sharp rise will mean the loss of experienced people in many top jobs from September, just as the full impact of the education cuts will begin to hit.

The Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN) said that since January, 144 school heads had decided to retire and boards of management were now trying to find replacements.

"Figures would suggest that the number of principals retiring in 2009 will exceed 300," said IPPN national director Sean Cottrell.

IPPN research shows a steady decline in the number of teachers applying for promotion to the role of principal.

Teachers increasingly feel the job is becoming 'undoable' given the massive increase in workload and the lack of secretarial support in schools.

They also identified the impact on the health of principals as a consequence of the stress and workload associated with the role, said Mr Cottrell.

"In the last three years, it has become a common occurrence that boards of management have found it difficult to recruit replacement principals. In many cases, boards have been forced to re-advertise vacancies due to the absence of suitable, or in some cases, any candidates," he added.

He said that, for many principals, the "dismantling" of the education system was their motivation for retiring.

The "last straw" was the recent announcement that middle management roles in schools, which were designed to enable principals to delegate some of their workload, were now being suppressed and would not be filled when current incumbents retired, moved to another school or went on leave.

Pattern

A similar pattern is evident at second level. Already, 24 principals and deputies have announced their retirement in the community and comprehensive school sector, in which there are 91 schools.

In the voluntary secondary schools' sector, advertisements have already appeared for around 30 principal and 30 deputy principal posts.

Ferdia Kelly, general secretary of the Association of Management of Catholic Secondary Schools, says these figures may be conservative.

As well as school leaders, many rank and file teachers are also opting out. The Department of Education and Science has confirmed that, compared with previous years, there has been an increase in inquiries from teachers about retirement.

- John Walshe Education Editor