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Gnáthamharc

School Staffing.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 March 2004

Tuesday, 30 March 2004

Ceisteanna (83)

Joan Burton

Ceist:

196 Ms Burton asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on recent reports that a growing number of primary schools cannot get applicants for teaching principalships when they are advertised; and that the ratio of applications for principalships has fallen dramatically in the past ten years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9773/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The recruitment of a principal of a primary school is a matter for the board of management of the school concerned. My Department does not hold any statistics in relation to the number of applications for principalship received by boards of management.

I acknowledge and appreciate that the post of school principal is of critical importance in the management of primary education. In recent years many improvements have been made to assist principal teachers in the performance of their duties and to relieve their administrative burden. 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 2000-01 school year, administrative principals were appointed to ordinary schools with seven mainstream class teachers. In addition, smaller schools with a principal plus 11 or more teachers when ex-quota posts were counted could appoint an additional teacher to facilitate the principal take on administrative duties.

Further improvements were granted to this provision in the 2001-02 school year when the staffing requirement was reduced to principal plus ten or more teachers and in the 2002-03 school year to principal plus nine or more teachers.

The scheme of release time was introduced for the 2000-01 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 allowed varies between 14 and 22 and is determined by the number of mainstream class teachers in the school. Paid substitution is provided 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 by the allocation of additional posts of responsibility. These middle management posts, deputy principal, assistant principal and special duties teacher are members of the management team of the school and are paid significant allowances in respect of their duties. It is a matter for the boards of management of schools to delegate functions to post of responsibility holders. The number of post holders range from two posts of responsibility in a two teacher school to, for example, 20 posts of responsibility in a 40 teacher school.

In addition to the above, funding to primary schools for secretarial and caretaking services has increased from the €50.79 per pupil in the 2000-01 school year, to €127 per pupil in the current school year.

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. The implementation of this project should help to further reduce the administrative burden on principal teachers.

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