Teachers who have difficulty doing their jobs properly require support and possibly additional training, a principal teachers' body said today.
Sean Cottrell, director of Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) was responding to reports today of a plan being drawn up by the Department of Education which would allow the dismissal of teachers in extreme cases.
The plan would also allow the withdrawal of a pay rise, demotion and suspension where teachers are not performing, reports said.
Sean Cottrell, Irish Primary Principals' Network
Speaking on RTE's Drivetime programme, Mr Cottrell said the number of teachers in the "problem zone" were very few.
He confirmed his organisation had not been consulted about the proposals and that there was currently very little detail on them. Mr Cottrell said he believed public confidence in teachers is very high.
"Largely, people's experience is generally quite good with schools. But it's important for all of us to be open to accountability and it's important to keep confidence high. Teachers, like any other profession, there will always be a minority who won't be able to do a good job for different reasons.
"We categorise them as those who can't do their job, those who won't do their job and those who won't let others do their jobs."
"By 'can't do', we mean unsatisfactory teachers who for either personal reasons maybe to do with illness or stress, are just maybe not up to the job. They are not able to deliver the quality of teaching required in a modern classroom," Mr Cottrell added.
He said the main requirement for such a teacher is "help, support, assistance, training" and perhaps that he or she be "taken back from the frontline" for a while perhaps to study or retrain in some areas.
"The number of teachers in this category is very small, thankfully."
Mr Cottrell said clear procedures were needed that identify "what is acceptable and unacceptable in terms of procedure".
"At the moment there are no good procedures for dealing with an insubordinate teacher or a teacher who doesn't want to support the principal," he said.
The teacher should be offered an "opportunity to make amends" before sanctions would be imposed.
"If procedures are clear and comprehensive, normally they act as more of a preventative tool rather than a curative tool."
Speaking on the same programme, Aine Lynch, chief executive of the National Parents' Council Primary said parents believed the majority of teachers are doing "a very good job". But where this isn't the case, it could have a very severe effect on a child's education.
The Irish Independent today reported that the new plans are the toughest proposals yet drawn up by the department to sanction teachers. There are about 55,000 primary and secondary teachers in the State.