Job fears for primary teachers

HUNDREDS of young primary teachers face losing their jobs this summer as the cost of the EU/IMF bailout takes its toll on schools.

All vacant positions must be filled by permanent teachers being redeployed from other schools, at the expense of temporary teachers who may already be doing the job.

It leaves young teachers, with one or two years' experience, facing a summer of uncertainty -- and hundreds may end up with no job in September.

And that does not take into account the estimated 1,500-2,000 new teachers graduating this summer.

Existing

In September, about 1,100 primary teachers will be reassigned from their existing jobs.

That is about three times the usual number of teachers who are redeployed each year.

These teachers will get the first call on posts such as those which have up until now been filled by staff on annual fixed-term contracts, held predominantly by recent graduates.

The Department of Education has sent a circular to schools advising of the strict new arrangements for filling posts.

It is only when all the teachers on the redeployment panels have been offered jobs that schools can open them up to others, including those working on a temporary basis.

The circular refers to the Programme for National Recovery and the EU/IMF Programme of Support for Ireland and the need "to exercise additional control and reporting measures to ensure that the number of teachers employed in schools is consistent with those programmes".

The 700 primary school posts being axed will reduce support for Gaelscoileanna, Travellers, English language teaching and for disadvantaged schools.

The redeployment system allows for teachers to move within a 45km radius where there is a vacant post.

- Katherine Donnelly

Irish Independent