A new drive by the Government to tackle truancy and early school-leaving at primary and second level has been dealt two serious blows.
Earlier this year the Government set up the National Education Welfare Board to tackle the issues, but the chief executive it appointed, Dr John Kennedy, has resigned for personal reasons.
Contacted in London yesterday by The Irish Times, Dr Kennedy said he regretted having to take the decision as he believed the board had an important contribution to make.
He was not resigning because of any conflict with teacher unions or the Department.
The Department is now seeking to appoint his replacement before July, when the legislation behind the latest initiative, the Education Welfare Act, comes fully into effect.
Dr Kennedy is a highly-regarded specialist who has spearheaded several successful initiatives in the London area.
Recruiting him a few months ago was regarded as something of a minor coup for the Department.
The board has also suffered a second setback with school managers warning that from September they will not co-operate with the board.
Mr George O'Callaghan, general secretary of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), which represents hundreds of school managers, said that his members could not deal with the "huge administrative burdens" which the new Act would place on them.
"We simply cannot do it unless the Department gives us the proper resources," he said.
His members - principals and school managers - will be asked by the board to keep records of student absences and fulfil a range of other statutory requirements.
Principals and managers will also have new responsibilities in relation to the suspension and expulsion of unruly pupils.
Mr O'Callaghan said that his members could be technically breaking the law by not doing the work required of them, but they were left with no choice.
They had told Department officials at several meetings that resources were needed, but there had been no response.
He said that the JMB and other managerial bodies were also unhappy that they had been given no representation on the board "as a matter or right".
"The decisions of the board will impact on school managers and principals, so surely they have a right to be represented on a permanent basis on this board," he said.