22nd December 2020
Gerry Murphy, Northern Secretary of the INTO commenting on Minister Weir’s statement today in the Assembly said:
“Minister Weir in his statement earlier to the NI Assembly has once again squandered an opportunity to provide reassurance and leadership to the school system. He also chose to dismiss in real terms the views of the CSO, CMA and the Minister of Health.
The clarity and leadership which school leaders and teachers were seeking from him was absent from a statement which appeared to be more about justifying his inaction. The proposals, such as he made will do nothing additional to mitigate the risks faced by the children and young people or their teachers when they return to school after Christmas nor will they ensure effective learning can be maintained.
The simple facts are these in respect to schools re-opening after the Christmas Holidays:
- schools will be returning to a changed epidemiological environment and as such require time to reassess the existing Covid-19 protective measures they have in place and adjust them in light of the new Covid-19 variant.
- the Minister’s Department will need time to re-evaluate its Covid-19 Guidance to schools and the PHA will also need time to upscale its support to schools.
- the employing authorities will require time to modify the support they are offering schools to ensure it is aligned with the evolving threat the new variant Covid-19 presents.
Minister Weir appears to think that much like re-building an aircraft in flight this work can done with the schools open. If he is serious about the maintaining the well-being and health of not only the students but also the teachers and school leaders, he should look at the week beginning Monday January 4th when the majority of schools are planning to return and instruct schools to use that week to ready themselves for managing the changing situation. This would provide a stable and safe platform, in so far as is possible, for the schools going forward. The ludicrous suggestion coming from the Minister that we need to be prepared for blended learning at the end of January demonstrates a total lack of understanding on his part.
The test, track and trace regime needs a shake up and school communities require to be prioritised for vaccination. Minister Weir has so far failed to get test track and trace working effectively for the education system and while the pilot underway in the North West in this area is welcome it needs to be speeded up and rolled out across the system now. Vaccinating our young people and their teachers is essential if we are to minimise further disruptions to learning for our children and young people.
We heard nothing concrete from Minister Weir in his statement. He continues to disappoint and looks increasingly out of his depth. His credibility amongst the education community continues to diminish. The education community deserves better than this. “