Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
548. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if she will create a scheme in order that primary school teachers on an agreed temporary exchange with another school can make the exchange on a permanent basis subject to the agreement of all parties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13393/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn February 2018 my Department introduced the “Temporary Re-Assignment Scheme For Primary Teachers”. This Scheme was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC). The Council is comprised of representatives of teachers, school management, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Department of Education and is chaired by an official of the Workplace Relations Commission.
The purpose of the Temporary Re-Assignment Scheme is to facilitate an arrangement between two eligible teachers who, with the approval of their respective employers, wish to apply for temporary re-assignment to a different school for educational purposes. The provisions of the Scheme are set out in Chapter 9 of Circular 0054/2019.
Paragraph 1.3 of the Circular states:
“A teacher may apply for temporary re-assignment to a different school for educational purposes which includes enabling teachers in primary schools to enhance their professional experience by teaching in different types of settings and enrich their personal knowledge which can then be shared with colleagues.
For example, a teacher could seek a temporary re-assignment between:
- an urban school and a rural school or vice versa
- a large school with a single class per teacher and a smaller school with multi-grade classes
- a junior school, that is infants to second class and a senior school where they would teach third to sixth class
- a single gender school and a mixed gender school
- a mainstream school and a special school
- a DEIS school and a non-DEIS school
- a multi-medium school and a Gaelscoil/school in a Gaeltacht area or vice versa”.
In accordance with the terms of the scheme, the minimum period for which a re-assignment may be facilitated is one school year and the maximum is three school years. Applications for Temporary Re-Assignment are approved by the Board of Management of each school, and details thereof are notified to my Department. On conclusion of the temporary Re-Assignment period the teacher must return to his/her original school and no further Temporary Re-Assignment can be entered into in the course of their career.
The core function of the panel arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent/CID holding teachers, to other schools that have vacancies. Primary schools are required to fill permanent vacancies from teachers on the Main Redeployment Panel in the first instance and thereafter from Supplementary Redeployment Panels comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers. Primary teachers are placed on redeployment panels in line with the patronage of the school from which they are redeployed and are available to schools with teaching vacancies that are within a 45km distance of the teacher’s base school.
