29th January - Children's Learning affected
- Last Updated: Tuesday, 24 February 2015 12:24
Children’s learning affected by demands placed on Teaching Principals.
President of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN), Brendan McCabe, claimed seven out of ten Principals have to teach a class and attend to full principal duties in Irish primary schools. This dual role impacts on the children in the class who miss out on quality teaching time.
He told his members, “You are not a teaching principal. That term has got to go. You are a Principal and a full time Teacher. You are in fact double jobbing. And, despite what the DES asks of you it is nearly impossible to do both jobs at the same time and completely impossible to do both to the consistently high standards we as principals strive to achieve.”
Speaking to over 1,100 Primary School Principals at the IPPN Education Conference in City West, Thursday January 29th, Mr McCabe called for one full day a week release time for teaching principals, ‘just like our colleagues 90 miles up the road in Northern Ireland’
The IPPN President goes on to explain that there are solutions for the problem, “You can however do both separately, but for that to happen you need, just like your colleagues ninety miles up the road in Northern Ireland, one full day a week release time.”
Mr McCabe said that this was a priority for the IPPN. And one that must be tackled straight away.
