Sir, – Schools have gone past the point of not having enough qualified or even unqualified teachers to teach classes. They are now at the tipping point of not having enough teachers to even supervise classes.
Principals are already being forced into situations where they are having to cancel extra-curricular activities because of the shortage of teachers. This is crushing for student learning and wellbeing and demoralising for the school community.
The requirement that teachers who are household close contacts should now restrict their movements until they have three negative antigen tests is set within a timeframe of five days. With day one not being until the day of receipt of the tests in the post, and with the inevitable increased demand that will ensue, it is clear that five days will soon become seven, eight or more days of absence from school.
Department of Education inspectors are out in force visiting schools carrying out full-day incidental and other types of inspections. It is baffling that in the fourth wave of a global pandemic, in the midst of a teacher supply crisis, that these inspectors who are fully qualified and skilled in their subjects would not be doing anything other than putting inspections on hold to teach and/or supervise classes as a temporary emergency measure.
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Last year, when taoiseach Leo Varadkar re-joined the medical register to help the health service during the first wave of the pandemic.
It would be a welcome act of leadership and solidarity if former teacher, Minister for Education Norma Foley might re-join the teaching council register, roll up her sleeves and take a few classes in schools on a regular basis to help with the current crisis. After all, every class taught (or even supervised), is one class less at risk of being sent home. – Yours, etc,
JOHN McHUGH,
Principal,
Ardscoil Rís,
Dublin 9.