Vol. 443 No. 4
9 Mr. Deenihan asked the Minister for Education if it is her Department's policy to restrict 10 per cent of all staffing in community and comprehensive schools to a 10 per cent quota of temporary whole-time and part-time teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question No. 615 of 26 January 1994. As I explained at the time, the staffing approved in any one year for community and comprehensive schools is expressed in wholetime teacher equivalent units. Ninety per cent of staffing allocation is used to make permanent wholetime appointments, and the remaining 10 per cent may be used only to make temporary or part-time appointments. This is necessary to give school managements flexibility to plan their programmes and to cater for the broad range of subjects offered. It is also necessary to take account of the effect on the annual staffing allocation of short term fluctuation in student numbers.
The position currently adopted is that approximately 10 per cent of the approved teacher allocation should be used to make temporary or part-time appointments only. However, in accordance with the provisions of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work, my Department will be entering into discussions with representatives of management and of teacher unions with a view to agreeing a ceiling on the percentage of part-time teaching posts in post-primary schools and third-level colleges. I do not wish to pre-empt those discussions.
I cannot understand why the Minister laid down a criterion that 10 per cent only of the staffing levels in these school be allocated to part-time teachers. Surely local needs warrant local authorities and schools being in a position to take those kinds of decisions, ascertaining how to respond? Is job-sharing included in this 10 per cent ceiling the Minister is imposing because there is a great need for it in the teaching profession? It is already very successful in certain areas.
It has been the practice to respond in a flexible manner to curricular demands in approved teacher allocations for 10 per cent of the school year or activity, a good example being the range of subjects offered in community and comprehensive schools and within the vocational education committee sector. At present within the secondary schools sector that flexibility does not exist, although there is a scheme which provides for the redeployment of teachers. Therefore, there is a different relationship between teachers in the voluntary schools sector and those in community, comprehensive and the vocational education committee sector. There has been discussion about this and an interest was expressed at the time of publication of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work. There have been discussions with management and teacher unions to agree a ceiling on the percentage of part-time teaching posts. I do not want to pre-empt these discussions but I am sure, on their finalisation, I will be able to spell out precisely what is included.
I am endeavouring to ascertain the Minister's thoughts on this subject. Would she be happy to see an increase in the incidence of part-time teachers, or does she perceive any value in allocating part-time teachers to a school? Does she consider they have any potential contribution to make to the variety of subjects being made available within a broad-based curriculum, when perhaps a teacher, working ten hours per week, could add a continental language or some other subject to that school's curriculum which would be advantageous, rather than imposing this 10 per cent ceiling?
While a Minister may express preferences when arranging talks between parties and giving each a role, it would be pre-emptive of me to be prescriptive about any outcome I might wish. Indeed the 10 per cent in specific sectors has allowed flexibility, generally accepted by those involved. While the managerial authorities accept the need for flexibility they have expressed the view to my Department that the level of part-time and temporary teaching posts should be reduced. I am talking about community and comprehensive schools forming part of the ongoing negotiations that arose from the Programme for Competitiveness and Work. Within the timetable, curricula and subjects available in schools, there is the ability to respond flexibly with a percentage of part-time teachers but that precise percentage is at present being discussed.
