The Department of Education has suspended 20 teachers since 1997 following allegations that they were involved in child abuse, but only one case has been successfully prosecuted, The Irish Times has learned. All the allegations concern sexual abuse.
Some of the teachers have been suspended for almost three years. Their cases are either being investigated by the Gardai or a file is with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
One of the teachers was suspended from a school as recently as last week, while another was suspended a fortnight ago. The 20 teachers involved are suspended on full pay, at a cost so far of £782,500 to the Department.
Some of those suspended taught in industrial schools earlier in their careers, and entered mainstream schools afterwards. Some of the allegations relate to their time at industrial schools, while others relate to abuse said to have been committed subsequently.
Most of the cases are still being investigated by the Gardai or a file has been sent to the DPP. It is understood that because some of the alleged offences took place several years ago, amassing evidence has proved difficult.
However, some schools are unhappy with lack of action after a teacher has been suspended by a board of management.
A source involved with one particular case said gardai informed him a file had been sent to the DPP more than three years ago, but there were still no developments.
However, it is understood that the DPP deals with cases involving child abuse as quickly as possible, but sometimes files relating to these cases can be incomplete and this can slow down the preparation of a prosecution.
About 15 cases relate to teachers in primary schools, with the remainder in voluntary or community/comprehensive schools. There have been no suspensions relating to child abuse in vocational schools, according to files released under the Freedom of Information Act.
One of the cases has resulted in a jail sentence for a teacher, who can now be dismissed from his school. The Department of Education is not permitted to dismiss a teacher until a conviction has been secured.
Officially, the Department suspends teachers who are accused of child abuse under the heading of "alleged misconduct".
Carol Coulter, Legal Affairs Correspondent, adds: Files sent to the DPP are normally processed in a matter of weeks. If the material sent by the Gardai is not sufficient for a prosecution, additional evidence may be sought.
If, in the opinion of the DPP's office, there is still not enough evidence for a prosecution to have a reasonable chance of success, it does not proceed. In certain child sex abuse cases, the passage of time makes it difficult to gather evidence.
It is highly unusual for files to remain with the DPP's office for longer than a few months. However, according to the Victims' Charter, any victim not happy with the progress of a case in the DPP's office may contact the office and the director will look into the matter.
