Moratorium on filling of schools' vacancies to be eased
Some schools are being given permission to promote teachers in order to relieve the pressure being caused by retirements.
Announcing the move today, Tánaiste and Education Minister Mary Coughlan said affected schools will be now be able to fill a limited number of vacancies.
However, the Minister said a general moratorium on the filling of so called "promotion posts" in schools remains.
"The impact of the moratorium is uneven across schools," Minister Coughlan said.
"For some schools, between this year and the coming school year, the level of retirements will create a significant number of vacancies.
"The changes that I am now making will allow those schools to fill a limited number of vacancies while the overall number of promotion positions continues to reduce," said the Tánaiste.
Second-level schools will now be able to make appointments to vacant Assistant Principal posts where the overall number of posts in a school falls below a certain minimum.
The new arrangements will also cover situations where schools have certain vacancies relating to the co-ordination of the delivery of such programmes as Leaving Certificate Applied and Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme.
Larger primary schools with Assistant Principal vacancies will be able to apply to the Department of Education for approval to make appointments.
"The measures being announced today provide a measured and balanced response to the manner in which the moratorium has impacted unevenly on schools," the Tánaiste continued.
"The moratorium will continue to apply as the position whereby over 50% of all teachers have promotion allowances is simply not sustainable."
The move was welcomed by the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA).
“The moratorium has prevented appointments to vacant Assistant Principal posts of responsibility in schools over the past two years," stated IVEA General Secretary Michael Moriarty.
"The effect of the moratorium has been to completely undermine the administrative capabilities of some schools which have been particularly affected by retirements.
Describing the announcement as "a step in the right direction", Mr Moriarty said it should be only the first step in a process which addresses the "emergency that currently prevails in the school administration process afflicted by the lack of senior personnel with administrative responsibilities".
