Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 April 2021
978. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the cascade aspect of teacher absences in the context of Covid-19 in which the substitute panel is saturated with requests, thereby seeing special needs teachers frequently being required to take over absentee teacher class duties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18815/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAmong the COVID-19 supports provided for the 2020/21 school year was the extension of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panel. Currently, there are 115 Substitute Teacher Supply Panels nationwide, with almost 330 newly appointed Supply Panel teachers employed, providing substitute cover to almost 2,300 schools across the country. The proficiencies of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panels is being monitored throughout the school year and will be reviewed by my Department at the end of the current academic year.
These substitute Supply Panels are not the sole means whereby schools source substitutes but are set up to work alongside the existing methods of sourcing substitute teachers whether through a school’s own panel of regular substitutes or the National Substitution portal service as outlined in the Department Circular 45/2020.
Where there is no substitute available from these options, Circular 45/2020 allows for non-mainstream teachers to cover the absence of a teacher in a mainstream class and the school may employ a substitute on a subsequent date when one is available.
