Seán Crowe
Question:319 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress regarding exploring the possibility of providing 500 new administrative posts to help ease the burdens of school principals. [25003/03]
Written Answers. - School Services Staff.
In recent years many improvements have been made to enable principal teachers in primary schools to perform their administrative duties.
Up until the 1999/2000 school year, principals were released from teaching duties to become an administrative principal where the school had a staffing of eight or more mainstream class teachers. From the commencement of the 2000/2001 school year, administrative principals were appointed to ordinary schools with seven mainstream class teachers and in schools with a principal plus 11 or more teachers, including ex quota posts. Since the 2002/2003 school year, administrative principals may be appointed to schools where there is a principal plus nine or more teachers, including ex quota posts.
The scheme of release time for principals was also introduced for the 2000/2001 school year. This scheme enables teaching principals of primary schools to be released from their teaching duties for a specified number of days annually to undertake administrative leadership and management functions. The number of days release time granted is determined by the number of mainstream class teachers in the school as outlined in primary circular 25/02. Paid substitution is approved by my Department for the days that principals are on release time. Arising from the implementation of the PCW agreement, significant improvements were introduced to the management structure of primary schools through the allocation of additional posts of responsibility. It is a matter for the boards of management of schools to delegate functions to post of responsibility holders.
My Department is currently engaged in the development of a computerised on-line system for the submission of claims for the payment of certain categories of teachers. It is expected that a pilot project will commence shortly on the implementation of this system. The system is expected to further assist principal teachers in the performance of their administrative duties.