In the Dáil on March 4, Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe conceded that some schools were already encountering serious difficulties because of the hiring moratorium imposed by the Government on the filling of vacant promotion posts, and that children were being affected. 

The latest figures reveal that 1,100 middle-management positions at assistant principal and special duties level have been lost to date in primary and secondary schools. Many more are forecast to go in the summer when a glut of retirements is expected.

Minister O'Keeffe told the Dáil that his department was in discussions with the Department of Finance to find ways of easing the situation. He said, however, that the present position where more than half of second-level teachers have promotion allowances - at a cost €236m a year - was not sustainable.

Responding to the Minister’s statement in the Dáil ASTI General Secretary John White said:

“Anyone familiar with the workings of a modern second-level school understands that you must have a system in place which allows the school to operate in an orderly fashion to meet the needs of the student cohort, undertake administration in a responsible manner, and fulfil legislative obligations. In Ireland this system is the posts of responsibility system.

“Most second-level schools have between 400 and 1,000 pupils and these schools simply cannot run with just a Principal and Deputy Principal.

“The moratorium means that second-level schools are being stripped of a whole layer of vital administrative and pastoral supports without which many schools will not be able operate this September.”

 “Unless the moratorium is totally removed schools will not be able to provide an optimal service to pupils in a context where our future economic wellbeing and the smart economy are dependent on the education service”. (Sources: Irish Independent; ASTI)

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