Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 March 2024
304. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education the reason County Meath was omitted from the redeployment programme for secondary school teachers, as recently announced by her Department; and when teachers in this county will be able to apply for a transfer to other counties. [10251/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of surplus permanent teachers to other schools where vacancies exist. Ensuring efficiency in the annual redeployment processes is significant in terms of managing the overall teacher numbers.
At Post-Primary level, following discussions between the relevant stakeholders, a voluntary redeployment scheme has operated on a pilot basis in specific regions in recent years. Permanent teachers employed in these regions are given an opportunity to volunteer for a transfer to other areas of the country only if such a transfer would free up a vacancy that would facilitate the redeployment of a surplus permanent teacher in the region.
The key purpose of the pilot voluntary redeployment scheme is to assist the Department to achieve its objective of redeploying all surplus permanent teachers. To date the pilot voluntary redeployment scheme has operated in 24 counties.
The teacher redeployment arrangements are reviewed annually by my Department involving the education stakeholders, including teacher unions and management bodies.
The review in respect of the 2023/24 redeployment process took place last December. The pilot voluntary redeployment scheme will operate in counties Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan and Monaghan for the 2024/25 school year. The criteria for the allocation of teachers to schools including the redeployment arrangements for the 2024/25 school year is available on the Department's website.
Teachers who apply under the pilot voluntary scheme and are not facilitated with a transfer continue to have the option of applying for posts in their preferred location that are advertised in the normal manner.
