Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 May 2012
277 Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that there will be no reduction in teaching posts in schools (details supplied) in Dublin 10 and 12 which are being imposed on the school post the review into the loss of 235 pre-DEIS legacy posts that were announced in Budget 2012. [25024/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing the Report on the net impact of Budget 2012 on DEIS urban schools, 140 will now retain the number of legacy posts required by them to implement more favourable pupil teacher ratios under previous disadvantage schemes for the 2012/13 school year. Six schools in the areas mentioned by the Deputy are included in this category.
As the Deputy may be aware, a range of factors contribute to determining the staffing requirement for individual schools including changes to enrolment and the reforms to the teacher allocation process for 2012/13. As the teaching allocation to schools, including legacy posts, is enrolment based, this determines whether schools gain or lose teaching posts from year to year.
278 Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of retired teachers that were rehired in his Department; the details of their contracts including pay and length of contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25043/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraA circular governing recruitment of teachers was issued last May. This circular sets out to ensure, as far as possible, that people appointed to teach are registered teachers with qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which they are employed and that unemployed teachers are offered employment in preference to those who have retired.
The data in my Department in respect of secondary and community/comprehensive schools indicate that two hundred and fifty four teachers who retired in February have been re-employed since the 1st March. The data also indicates that sixty seven primary teachers who retired in that period have been re-employed. The data in relation to teachers employed by VECs is not readily available.
I have asked my Department to examine the cases where retired teachers are undertaking regular employment to ensure that the terms of Circular 31/2011 in relation to the employment of qualified and unemployed teachers is being adhered to.
The details of the duration of the contracts are not available in my Department.
279 Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the efforts he has made to hire young unemployed teaching graduates before rehiring retired public servants this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25044/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraCircular 31/2011 details a cascade of measures for recruitment of teachers, prioritising unemployed registered teachers over retired registered teachers and registered teachers over unregistered persons.
Each principal must report to his or her board of management on a regular basis on the fact that a list of unemployed registered teachers is being maintained, and the circumstances in which he or she has had to engage a registered teacher in receipt of a pension under a public service pension scheme or an unregistered person.
Records relating to recruitment and appointment must be made available by the school for inspection by the Department and a copy of such a record must be furnished to the Department upon a request being made for this. The Department has recently carried out a review of compliance with the procedures outlined in Circular 31/2011.
Following a random sample of 103 schools, data has been collated in respect of 99 schools. In these 99 schools a total of 736 appointments were made in 2011/12. 12 retired teachers were appointed to cover short-term appointments which equates to 1.6% of the appointments made.
A further 5 appointments of retired teachers were made in accordance with the Department's measure to permit the re-employment of teachers who retired between 1 December 2011 and 29 February 2012 and who, immediately before their retirement, had been teaching students preparing to sit the Junior or Leaving Certificate in 2012. This once-off alleviation measure was permitted in recognition of the additional pressure of students facing State examinations, and the concerns of teachers who wished to ensure continuity of support for these children.
