Teachers will receive benchmarking payments totalling €132 million at the beginning of March, after agreement was reached yesterday on the standardisation of the school year.
Following a meeting of the teachers' conciliation council yesterday, it was agreed that teachers in primary and second-level schools who are paid directly by the Department of Education will receive their payment on March 3rd next.
A circular letter will be issued by the Department today with regard to the payment of benchmarking awards to Vocational Educational and Community schools.
Sources last night estimated that teachers can expect benchmarking payments of anything between €3,000 and €8,000 in total, depending on their years of service and seniority.
Although the next payment date for teachers is February 19th, it is believed that the Department stated during yesterday's negotiations that it was unable to meet such a deadline for the payment of the benchmarking awards.
It had also hoped to get agreement on a further school year, 2008-2009, but it is understood there was some disagreement on the matter.
As a result, the Department was willing to sign off on only the four years. There will, however, be a review of the agreement not later than June 2007.
It also emerged last night that while key school breaks will be tied down until 2008, primary schools will be allowed some leeway with regards to the days they are allowed to close during the February mid-term break.
A similar agreement was agreed this year, which aims to compensate primary schools for the fact that they remain open throughout the month of June.
Commenting on the agreement, Mr John White, deputy general secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) said: "This has been dragged out for too long and has been detrimental to relations between the partners. However, it is now time to move forward in the interests of the education service."
Mr John Carr of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation said that the focus on the actual days worked distracted from the the modernisation and change that had already been delivered by teachers.
He believed a new school calendar was only a "tiny part" of what had taken place.
The Minister for Education, Mr Dempsey, welcomed the new deal, which he said dealt comprehensively with the issues that gave rise to difficulties this year.
"I am confident that the new agreement can deliver for parents the certainty that they need in relation to school holiday periods," he said.