9th January 2022
“The mitigations currently in place in schools are not sufficient to meet the challenge of adequately protecting our members or the children and young people in their care”, said Justin McCamphill, NASUWT Regional Official, speaking on behalf of the Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council (NITC), the umbrella body for the five recognised teachers’ unions. Mr McCamphill was speaking in light of the Minister’s appearance before the Assembly on Monday 10th January 2022.
Mr McCamphill said:
“The situation across the education system is one of great anxiety and stress for school leaders, teachers, pupils and parents. School leaders and teachers are struggling in circumstances where staff absences arising from Covid-19 are making it impossible for many schools to function in a safe manner and satisfactory fashion, despite the endless claims to the contrary from others.
It is particularly disappointing for our hard-pressed members and their colleagues also working in schools in vital non-teaching roles that additional mitigations were not put in place prior to Christmas given the situation we now find ourselves in was entirely predictable.
It seems clear to the NITC that DE needs help and to that end we are today publishing a list of mitigations and recommendations (pdf) which we believe will go some way to restoring confidence across the education system. It will not of course lead to the total eradication of the virus in our schools, but the enacting of the mitigations and recommendations outlined will certainly go a long way to alleviating the pressure our members are under.
It is totally unacceptable that frontline education workers have been exposed in the manner they have and continue to be, due to inaction and dithering on the part of the Department of Education. Today, we in the trade union movement are offering DE an alternative way forward which we believe serves not only our members but the entirety of the education system. We do hope they have the good sense to embrace it.”
ENDS