The allowance payable to principal teachers employed by the managerial authorities of primary schools is a eleven point scale. The allowance for Post Primary Principals is a seventeen point scale. The maximum of the Primary Principal allowance scale is €29,776. The maximum of the Post-Primary Principal allowance scale is €42,469. This allowance is paid in addition to the teachers basic salary.
A basis for the difference in the length of the scales is the fact that primary schools in general are smaller than post primary schools.
The calculation of the precise aggregate cost of making the allowances identical across the entire primary and post primary sectors would be a complex exercise as it would require assessing the pay point of every principal teacher involved.