Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 January 2012
196 Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he has taken to prepare for the likely disruption caused to schools by 1,600 primary and secondary teachers leaving the education service in February to avail of pension arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4851/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraTeachers who planned to retire before the end of February were required to give 3 months' notice of their intention to retire in order to ensure that schools were aware of potential staffing difficulties. While the minimum notice period was 3 calendar months, school management were advised to seek the cooperation of staff in giving the earliest possible notice of their intention to retire in order to facilitate resource planning and timetabling. In recognition of the additional pressure of students facing state examinations, and the concerns of teachers who wish to ensure continuity of support for these children I have made provision, for this year only, to reduce disruption to students undertaking examinations in June. This is in the form of alleviation measures allowing post-primary schools to re-employ teachers who retire between 1 December 2011 and 29 February 2012 and who, immediately before their retirement, have been teaching students preparing to sit the Junior or Leaving Certificate examinations in 2012.
These teachers may be re-employed until the summer holidays for the teaching duties for which they were timetabled immediately before their retirement. Where a teacher's pre-retirement duties included both teaching and non-teaching duties, such as in the case of an Assistant Principal or Deputy Principal, the teacher may be re-employed for his or her teaching hours only.
I am aware that there are a large number of qualified and registered teachers who are unable to source work at the current time. I am also very alive to the pressures our young people are under to perform well in their State exams. I believe that the approach being adopted strikes the right balance between the needs of students who face into significant examinations, the retiring teachers who have invested a huge amount of time and effort in preparing students for their examinations and those teachers who are looking forward to the opportunities presented by the increased level of retirements at a time of constrained resources. Vacancies left by retiring primary and post-primary teachers of non-exam classes may be filled in a temporary capacity for the remainder of the school year in accordance with the existing recruitment procedures. I am confident that the large pool of qualified and registered teachers will be in a position to continue to provide high quality education to students.
197 Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of vacancies that will be created in schools in County Louth by primary and secondary teachers leaving the education service in February to avail of pension entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4852/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra228 Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the plans he has to lift the ban on recruitment of front-line staff in education and in particular the scenario or circumstances that will prompt him to so act. [5167/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 197 and 228 together.
The information requested by the Deputy in relation to vacancies is not readily available in my Department.
At the outset, I want to be very clear that vacancies created in the teaching profession by the forthcoming wave of public sector retirements up to February 29th 2012 will be filled. Students and pupils will not be left without teachers to teach them as a result of retirements. Furthermore, the turnover in teaching staff will provide many newly qualified teachers with opportunities to gain employment. The filling of vacancies in individual schools will be addressed by Boards of Management at school level. I am also seeking to reduce the impact of these retirements on students preparing for the State examinations. I am allowing schools to re-employ teachers who retire between 1 December 2011 and 29 February 2012, and who had been teaching classes due to sit State exams in 2012, until the end of the school year. In the case of teachers who are not teaching exam classes, replacements can be employed until the end of the school year, subject to the numbers framework.
The information available to the Pensions Unit of my Department in relation to projected retirements nationally from 1 January 2012 to 29 February 2012 are of the order of 729 Primary teachers, 507 Secondary/Community and Comprehensive School teachers and 220 Vocational teachers. A county by county breakdown of these figures is not readily available.
A key part of the Government's overall budgetary strategy is a requirement to reduce the public sector payroll. This will continue to be the case until we close the gap between what we spend as a country and what we take in through taxes. Given that one third of all public sector employees work in the Education sector it is simply not possible to completely exempt staffing levels in education from the Government's need to reduce expenditure.
The Government has prioritised, as best as possible, the filling of front-line posts in the Education sector within the constraints of the Employment Control Framework. For example, schools are permitted to fill teaching vacancies that arise within their approved staffing allocations.
