Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
480. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a cost associated with allowing teachers to use their Croke Park Agreement hours to teach extra curricular hours; and if so, the estimated cost of same. [32699/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Croke Park Agreement hours are part of wider productivity measures introduced under the Public Service Agreements. In schools, the Croke Park Agreement hours are 33 additional hours a year at post primary (36 hours at primary) worked by teachers. A central purpose of the Croke Park Agreement hours is to provide for certain essential activities such as staff meetings, parent-teacher meetings, school planning, subject planning and mandated Continuous Professional Development to take place without reducing tuition time.
Before the Croke Park Agreement hours were introduced, these activities ate into tuition time. This meant that schools closed for full days or half days in order to carry them out, causing interruption to tuition and significant inconvenience for parents, as well as child care costs – particularly for primary parents.
