Second-level principals have proposed a range of radical reforms to the operation of schools, including holding pa rent-teacher meetings and teacher-training courses outside school hours.
The principals also favour an outside agency to run the Leaving and Junior Certicate exams and say schools face "unacceptable demands" because of their workload in this area.
The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals in its submission to the new forum on education announced recently by the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, also says oral and practical exams should be "held outside school time".
The submission says parent-teacher meetings are "the chief mechanism for feedback" in schools, but their format and timing need to be reviewed. An evening format should be considered where attendance by teachers (who would be paid) would be compulsory. It also says teachers should be paid for doing in-service training outside school hours.
"In-school management" needs to be developed further. It calls for the appointment system for principals to be opened up, a reduction in classroom hours for assistant principals and additional posts to deal with "the administrative demands of new and impending legislation". It also says schools needs more "planning days" for which teachers should be paid.
A new supervision system is needed urgently, it continues, preferably by paying teachers. "Their professional training, knowledge of school policies and role in building school community make teachers the ideal choice."
Getting substitute teachers is also proving to be a serious problem and the submission recommends a national panel of qualified teachers to be set up. "Following interview and admission to the panel, teachers should be paid for a year to remain on the substitution panel," it says. It also calls for a "discretionary allowance" to be given to principals in emergency situations.
The association says "minimum staffing requirements" are needed in all post-primary schools regardless of size. These should include:
ex-quota principals; provision for learning support services; provision for chaplaincy services, secretarial services, caretaker services and information technology.