asked the Minister for Education if he is aware that, under the new salary scales for national teachers, highly efficient unmarried principal teachers, with 30 years' service, received an increase of 11 per cent. to 13 per cent., as against increases for the general body of teachers of from 40 per cent. to 50 per cent.; and if he will take steps to rectify this anomaly.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Teachers' Salaries.
asked the Minister for Education if he is aware that, under the new salary scales for national teachers, highly-efficient unmarried principal teachers in four to six teacher schools in Dublin and Cork receive less pay than efficient assistant teachers with shorter service; and if he will take steps to rectify this anomaly.
asked the Minister for Education if he is aware that, under the new salary scales for national teachers, highly-efficient unmarried principal teachers in an eight-teacher school receive less pay than highly-efficient assistant teachers, and could, in certain circumstances, be the lowest paid teachers in such schools; and if he will take steps to rectify this anomaly.
asked the Minister for Education whether, having regard to the fact that scales of pay differentiated on a marriage basis were not in operation when many unmarried principal teachers were appointed, and also having regard to the anomalies created by the operation of these scales, he will consider improving the salaries of these teachers.
I propose to take the Deputy's four questions (18) to (21) together.
The scheme for salaries and other grants payable to national teachers which came into operation from the 31st October, 1946, represented a complete revision of the scales, etcetera, formerly in operation and included the following special features:—
(1) Three main scales: One for women teachers; one for single men teachers; and one for married men teachers, as compared with the two former scales: One for women teachers and one for men teachers.
(2) Rent allowances for married men and widows.
(3) The figures in the new scales do not represent a series of uniform percentage increases on the old scales; it was not intended nor was it so arranged, that the increases would be uniformly proportionate for the different categories of teachers or even for teachers in the same category with different periods of service;
(4) The system of making an allowance to principal teachers based on the number of pupils in average attendance, which might vary from year to year, was replaced by a series of fixed allowances, not subject to reduction if the number of pupils fell but which might be increased on certain conditions if the number of pupils rose.
The inception of separate scales for married men and unmarried men teachers had the result, that single men teachers could not benefit to the same degree as married men from the new arrangement. Having regard to the basis on which the present scheme rests I do not admit that there is any anomaly, in the sense of an injustice or an inequality where in a particular case a principal teacher who is a single man receives less by way of scale salary and principal's allowance than a married man assistant teacher of the same or even shorter service would have by way of scale salary.
I do not propose, therefore, to make any alterations in the basic principles of the existing scheme, under which highly-efficient unmarried men principal teachers may receive in respect of maximum salaries and principal's allowance—£491 per annum in a school in the category of 120-179 pupils; £506 per annum in a school in the category of 180-239 pupils; £536 per annum in a school in the category of 240-299 pupils; £551 per annum in a school in the category of 300-349 pupils.
The answers to the other points in the questions are as follows:—
(18)—Highly-efficient unmarried men teachers at the maximum of the scale, i.e., with 23 or more years' service, may receive by way of scale salary and principal's allowance increases of from 10 per cent. to 21 per cent. above the amounts payable to them under the 1938 scales in respect of scale salary and the equivalent of principal's allowance, depending on the number of pupils in the school. The percentage increases given to classes of teachers other than single men vary according to whether the teacher is a woman or a married man, whether a principal or an assistant, the length of service and whether or not the teacher is in receipt of rent allowance, and would vary more widely than from 40 per cent. to 50 per cent., as stated by the Deputy.
(19) and (20) — If it is intended in the cases to refer to married men assistant teachers, the answer is that it is possible, depending on length of service and size of school, for a principal teacher in a particular instance to receive less pay than an assistant teacher.
(21) — Separate scales for unmarried men and married men are an integral part of the new scales of salary introduced on 31st October, 1946. All teachers benefited by the introduction of these scales and I see no reason for differentiating between unmarried men appointed before 31st October, 1946, and those appointed since that date.