Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe has rowed back on cuts to teacher substitution cover in second-level schools announced in the Budget.
Mr O'Keeffe told the Dáil this afternoon his department was allocating an additional €2.7 million for supervision cover for the remainder of the school year.
He said the funding would provide each school with a limited number of hours of substitution cover outside of the supervision and the substitution scheme.
“I intend that, during this period, there will be a full review of the substitution and supervision scheme, in conjunction with school management bodies and teachers’ union, with a view to taking up this additional €2.7 million expenditure,’’ he said.
The moves is aimed at softening Budget cuts in teacher substitution cover for uncertified sick leave and for teachers on official school business and comes ahead of a major protest in Dublin on Saturday against the education cutbacks.
A further €2.3 million is also to be made available to cover the period between September and the end of next year.
Fine Gael’s education spokesman Brian Hayes said the Minister’s “u-turn” would still left a massive black hole in the finances of many schools.
“The cost of substitute teaching cover last year was €21 million yet Batt O’Keeffe is trying to make great hay of providing €5 million for a calendar year.”
“This is the latest evidence that the Budget was rushed, is unworkable and how its provisions targeted the most vulnerable in society instead of focusing on ‘tough but fair’ policies that would have got the economy back on track,” he said.