Chalk Talk: news and views in education

Principal exodus

There may be an outflux of teachers from schools this autumn, to judge from the huge attendance by teachers at pre-retirement workshops organised by the three teaching unions over the past few months.

The pensions section of the DES has been under pressure preparing detailed estimates of pension entitlements for teachers considering retiring by the August 31st Haddington-Road deadline; some estimates are taking up to three months because of the numbers seeking them .

If large numbers of principals, deputy principals and assistant principals retire a week into the new school year, which starts on August 25th, it will create logistical problems for schools, as well as taking a large group of senior management out of the system.

On the plus side it should create full-time job opportunities for the 30 per cent-plus of teachers working on part- time contracts.

The phenomenon of large numbers of teachers working part-time has evolved over the past 15 years or so. Teacher unions have highlighted the issue but are in something of a catch-22 situation: one group of their members, principals and deputy principals, make decisions about teacher recruitment, which cause problems for young, newly qualified members.

From a principal’s perspective it may be easier to recruit two or three teachers for eight hours teaching each, rather than find a single teacher who is qualified in all three subjects. Principals and deputy principals making these decisions are fortunate that, given the terms of a DES circular in 1998, their salaries are based on the total number of teachers on their staff rather than the number of full-time equivalent posts. So a typical school of 500 students, which may have about 30 full-time equivalent posts, could have 41 teachers, including part-timers. In this example, the principal’s salary would be €7,559 higher, and the deputy principal €5,169 higher, than if it was calculated on the number of full-time equivalent staff.

Without suggesting a direct cause and effect , it is surely unfortunate that the growing casualisation and part-time nature of teaching financially benefits school manage rs.

--- Stem-cell research and organ donations are the topical issues up for debate in Thursday's finals of this year's Debating Science Issues (DSI). Four post-primary provincial winners : St Brigid's Vocational School, Loughrea, Co Galway; St Joseph's Secondary CBS, Fairview, Co Dublin; Coláiste Mhuire, Crosshaven, Co Cork; and Our Lady and St Patrick's College, Belfast,
Co Antrim compete in the finals, which are hosted by Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in Dublin.