Teaching principals are losing up to 20 days of class time every year because of school management duties, it will be claimed today.
Over 750 primary school principals are to gather in Dublin's Citywest Hotel for the Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) annual conference.
IPPN president Tomas O'Slatara will tell delegates that children in teaching principals' classes are at a severe disadvantage. "If you add up all the hours and minutes' teaching lost in the classes of teaching principals, you get a startling picture," he said.
"The loss of a half hour per day teaching time could accumulate over the full school year to as much as 20 school days."
The IPPN commissioned report in 2005 that highlighted the issue. "Unfortunately, this report is in danger of becoming a dust-gatherer on the shelves of those who have the power, responsibility and finance to make a difference," added Mr O'Slatara.
Mr O Slatara pointed out that the State's 2,000 principal teachers had to regularly deal with interruptions to their teaching because they are also leading and managing their schools.
"There are many routine and unavoidable tasks on a daily basis like dealing with the leaking roof, talking with a parent, meeting with the school inspector, taking a telephone call and organising a substitute teacher for an absent colleague," he explained.
"Each one of these tasks may be vitally important and may have to be done at any time during the school day."
PA