News Archive
Tánaiste Announces Limited POR Alleviation
The Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Mary Coughlan TD, has this evening announced a limited alleviation of the moratorium on assistant principal posts in primary and post primary schools.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation said such was the scale of the cutbacks in posts in some primary schools that any alleviation would be welcomed by affected schools.
The INTO also said the fact that primary schools were covered by the revised scheme was due to its insistence on their inclusion at its Easter Congress.
Sheila Nunan, General Secretary of the INTO, said the scope of the alleviation for primary schools lacked detail, certainty and clarity. She also said it perpetuated the historic disparity between primary and post primary schools in the allocation of these posts. Ms Nunan also said the limited nature of the alleviation would be seen by principal teachers as inadequate, especially given the failure of government to honour the benchmarking award made to principals and deputy principals. “As it stands it will do little to alleviate the ever increasing workload for principals resulting from the on-going moratorium in schools.”
Ms Nunan said the INTO would, however, seek a meeting with the Department officials to discuss the detail of this announcement and to ensure that primary schools were treated fairly in the review process.
Date: Monday, 5 July 10