Vol. 488 No. 7
404 Ms Cooper-Flynn asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason the services of a supply panel have been withdrawn from Carn national school, Ballina, County Mayo; and the reason the proposal to grant time off for the principal to spend on school matters is not available to this school. [7149/98]
Earlier in the current school year, the supply panel scheme was extended by the provisions of a further 30 teachers. The scheme now operates in 17 locations throughout the country serving a large number of schools.
The school to which the Deputy refers was served by the supply panel when it operated as a pilot scheme. In the context of the development of the scheme, it was necessary to redress difficulties which had presented during the pilot phase. Accordingly, a reduction in the number of supply teachers in some locations was deemed appropriate to ensure more efficient management of the scheme. A consequence of this action was a reduction in the number of schools in these areas benefiting from the scheme. I should stress that the reduction in supply teachers in some locations was accompanied by an increase in the number of teachers in other locations.
The provision of some relief for teaching principals from teaching duties to concentrate on administrative matters is a subsidiary function of the supply panel scheme. Clearly, this applies only in schools which are served by the supply panel scheme. Since Carn national school is no longer served by the scheme, unfortunately, no elements of the scheme are now applicable to the school.
