MINISTER FOR Education Batt O’Keeffe says he has no plans to review the controversial teacher contracts, despite criticism from the McCarthy report and a leading educationalist.
The Minister told The Irish Timesyesterday that fundamental changes in the working conditions of teachers was not on his agenda at present. Instead, he hoped to work with the teacher unions and education partners to meet the challenges.
In recent weeks, there has been an increasing focus on the pay and conditions of some 50,000 teachers.
The report said the €300 million cost of teacher substitution cover “arises in large part from a set of restrictive working terms, conditions and practices for teachers”.
Last week, Dr Don Thornhill, a former secretary of the Department of Education, said future contract arrangements for teachers should include a total statutory working time which would provide for activities outside the classroom, as recommended by the report.
Yesterday the Minister said: “It is not my intention to look at the teacher contract. The education sector is facing some tough decisions and I am looking to manage this in co-operation with the teacher unions rather than engage in fundamental changes to the teaching contract.’’
The Minister cited the significant progress which had been made including new measures to address teacher underperformance in the classroom, a new merit-based promotion system and a new teacher redeployment scheme.
Some leading education figures are known to favour fundamental changes in the working conditions of teachers including longer working hours, shorter holidays and the abolition of extra payments for some additional duties and for supervision and substitution cover.
But the Minister is thought reluctant to push through this agenda at a time when major confrontation is looming with the teacher unions over cuts.
The full impact of these education cuts will be felt in September when schools will lose teachers and when some special needs classes will be closed.
