Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 April 2012
37 Deputy Liam Twomey asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the 33 hours additional work agreed for non-teaching time can be used during school hours under the Croke Park Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11207/12]
View answerOne of the elements of the Croke Park Agreement is that teachers will provide an additional hour per week to facilitate a range of essential whole school activities, at the discretion of school management. The central purpose of the additional time requirement is to provide for activities such as parent-teacher meetings and school planning meetings to take place without reducing class contact/tuition time and to eliminate the current incidence of school closure arising from these activities. Following discussions involving the Department, school management bodies and unions, a document clarifying how the additional time is to be used was forwarded to all schools for implementation. It is specifically stated in the implementation document that the additional time should be scheduled outside normal school hours.
