Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 October 2022
123. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to correspondence from a person (details supplied); her plans to address the concerns raised by this school principal; the measures that are being taken to alleviate the obstacles and alleviate the current crisis in obtaining substitute teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52448/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department’s Circular Letter 0032/2007 and Circular Letter 0054/2019, details the agreed terms and conditions for the main leave types currently available to teachers, including the provision for substitute cover. My Department’s Circular Letter 0033/2013 permits a primary school to utilise their Supervision Hours to cover absences including, all uncertified sick leave absences, and the first day of Force Majeure Leave and Illness in Family Leave.
As stated in Circular Letter 0054/2019, each employer should have a policy on teacher absences, specific to the needs of their school. The welfare and educational needs of the pupils must take precedence over all other considerations and have due regard to the capacity of the school to meet its obligations to its pupils. Individual employers may therefore have to apply a limit to the number of teaching staff that may avail of non-statutory leave (e.g. Career Break, Job-Sharing) at any one time. An employer must take into account the availability of an appropriately qualified replacement teacher when making a decision on a teacher’s leave application.
Under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998, the Minister for Education, with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform, is authorised to determine the terms and conditions of employment for teachers employed in approved teaching posts funded by monies provided by the Oireachtas.
Any changes to the current substitution provision available to teachers would widen the scope of the current leave schemes in place and would be considered cost-increasing in nature. The Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC) forms part of the Scheme of Conciliation and Arbitration for Teachers, the purpose of which is to provide a forum for claims and proposals relating to the salary, and other terms and conditions of service for teachers. The Council is comprised of representatives from the Teacher Unions, the School Management Bodies, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education. The TCC is independently chaired by an official of the Workplace Relations Commission. In relation to the details supplied, it is open to the individual to raise the matter with their Teacher Union.
Regarding teacher supply, my Department runs a comprehensive programme of work to support the supply of teachers at primary level.
Newly qualified teachers (NQTs) will represent a new source of supply in the 2022/23 school year. In excess of 3,450 primary and post-primary NQTs have had their registrations finalised by the Teaching Council to date with 35 further applications currently in progress.
The Teaching Council recently made regulations allowing for the registration of 3rd and 4th year undergraduate ITE students under a new registration route, Route 5 (Student Teachers). Approximately 1,300 undergraduate student teachers have applied for registration under Cycle 1 of Route 5 registrations. Cycle 2 of Route 5 registrations commenced in early October. Once registered with the Teaching Council, such student teachers can be employed by a school to cover substitutable vacancies.
Sub Seeker, a central portal for short-term substitute vacancies, was jointly developed by IPPN / NAPD in accordance with the Teacher Supply Action Plan and launched in December 2019. The portal matches available primary and post-primary teachers with short-term substitute vacancies. More than 11,800 teachers have registered with Sub Seeker to date.
Significant additional posts have also been allocated to the primary substitute teacher supply panels in areas where significant challenges in sourcing substitution continue, bringing the total to 610 posts on 151 panels, covering approximately 2,800 schools.
The supply panels work alongside the existing methods of sourcing substitute teachers, such as Sub Seeker, the national substitution portal service referred to above and schools can also make local arrangements to have their own regular substitutes to call on if needed.
On a temporary basis for the 2022/23 school year, Job-Sharing teachers may be employed to work in a substitute capacity in any school, during the period they are rostered off duty. Teachers on Career Break may carry out unlimited substitute work for the 2022/23 school year.
My Department will continue, with the cooperation of the Education Partners, to develop and implement measures to address challenges faced by schools and to support the supply of teachers to our schools.
