“Utopian” recommendations by inspectors slated
School boards have highlighted the difficulties of overcrowded classrooms and underfunded schools in the latest series of inspection reports.
In written responses to the inspection reports published on May 22, school boards have criticised the lack of support given by the Department of Education and have said that underfunding is making it difficult to implement the new curriculum.
The department’s inspection reports focus on schools’ performance. But INTO general secretary John Carr said inspectors should be aware of how badly schools are funded and stop making utopian recommendations that take no account of financial realities.
“Government cannot continue to rely on parents and teachers to make up the shortfall in school finances,” Mr Carr said.
With reference to the continued use of unqualified substitutes, the school board at Bhantiarna Lourdes, Bunclody, Co Wexford, said the inspector’s report should have differentiated between the many competent professional teachers in the school and the unqualified substitutes that the board was forced to employ at short notice because of a lack of qualified substitute teachers. (Source: Irish Times)
May 28th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Delighted to hear a school speaking out on the issue of unqualified subs. Surely parents are entitled to know that the adult standing in front of their child is not a teacher?
What a joke the education system in this country is…not alone do we not have the resources to implement the revised curriculum, we do not have the personnel. This problem has been highlighted time and again but of course it is the government doing things on the cheap that has left us in this mess.
Perhaps in response to inspection reports, schools should publish their own report on how much fundraising they had to engage in during the year & how many days were lost due to lack of qualified sub cover.
I have yet to see a Minister out shaking a bucket to raise funds for office requisites, yet that is precisely what teachers are expected to do in order to equip themselves to do their job. Is this being treated like a ‘professional?’ I think not!