School principals call for more admin support to address 'burnout issue'
School principals have called for more admin support to tackle their increasing workload in what is being referred to in some cases as a “burnout issue".
An increasing workload is beginning to take its toll on principals and deputies, according to Kieran Golden, the outgoing president of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD).
While being a principal or deputy principal has its rewards, the role has expanded at an “exponential” rate in recent years, he added.
During his address at the second day of the association’s annual conference, Mr Golden told Joe McHugh, Minister for Education that there are currently too few applicants for principal positions nationwide.
“New syllabi, new assessment procedures, new legislation, new circulars, new financial accounting procedure, and many more administration heavy initiatives continue to encroach on an already full working day.
Too many of our colleagues are missing family events because of work. Too many of us are scheduling medical appointments to facilitate work by postponing medical tests and procedures so they can be done during holiday periods.
While an increase in the number of deputy principals and a partial reinstatement of middle management posts will help to stem some of this pressure, an increased workload has overtaken the increase in support, he added.
“The need for more administration support is now a burning issue or in some cases colleagues are calling it a burnout issue.”
Schools also need time to reflect on a period of significant change, he added.
“It is very difficult to achieve this if the circulars, the directives and the memos just keep coming right at us throughout the calendar year. The treadmill must slow down.”
In his address to delegates, Mr Golden also called on the Department of Education to consider appointing additional deputy principals to all DEIS schools regardless of their size.
“Our colleagues who lead and manage DEIS schools continue to respond to what can be very challenging contexts.”
“One can only admire the commitment of colleagues who support the learning and wellbeing of students who are living in pockets of intergenerational disadvantage.”
In many cases, those working in DEIS schools also work with initiatives linked to the school completion, community and third-level access programmes at the same time as dealing with complex societal issues, Mr Golden told the Minister.
An additional deputy principal would allow DEIS schools to focus on the progress of their students, he added.
In his address to the delegation, Education Minister Joe McHugh thanked the conference for their feedback.
“It is my duty and my obligation to bring (your feedback) back to my officials and see what will work, what won’t work or what are the aspects that we can work on.”
"There has been enormous change in the last five years and we have to capture that."
