Vol. 537 No. 5
523 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the difficulty for secondary voluntary schools in recruiting part-time teachers - EPT - due to the restriction on hours worked, which does not apply in other areas of secondary education; and the rationale of the 11 hour restriction applied. [16554/01]
I am aware of certain difficulties being encountered by schools in the recruitment of teachers in specific subject areas. The level of difficulty varies by location, subject combinations and the tenure of the post available. While principals have reported difficulties in recruitment in certain areas, my Department is not aware of any second level school which has not filled its approved teacher allocation for the current year.
The eligible part-time teachers – EPT – scheme, as agreed by representatives of teachers, school management and my Department, was introduced to enhance the conditions of part-time teachers at second level. The award of an EPT contract is subject to the condition that the hours in question can be accommodated within the approved teacher allocation for the individual voluntary secondary, community or comprehensive school or vocational education committee concerned.
It is a requirement of the EPT scheme that, in order to qualify for the award of an eligible part-time teacher contract, a teacher in a second level school must be time-tabled for a minimum of 11 hours per week class contact for the school year. The maximum number of hours per week class contact for which an EPT can be time-tabled is 22.
