Speaking today, President of the PDA Kevin Whyte said:

“Using any objective criteria there will be very considerably less teachers in schools in at the start of the school year. Principals are now trying to finalise timetables for the academic year 2009/2010 which is proving very difficult if not impossible within the guidelines and recommendations set down by the Department of Education and Science.”

“The net result will be less subject choice for students and the possible removal of programmes such as the Leaving Certificate Applied that help greatly with student retention beyond the Junior cycle.

“The Department has claimed that current teacher numbers will not be finalised until later in the year, but all students must be catered for in every school from the first day of term, not in November or December.

“We urge that the worst of the cutbacks – including cuts to the book grant - be reversed and that education be insulated from further attacks going forward.”

The main difficulties emerging for principals at this stage are:
·        Reduction in teacher allocation i.e. insufficient hours to cover the subjects contracted to students (and their parents/guardians) in particular students entering year 2 and year 3 of the Junior Certificate Programme and year 2 of the Leaving Certificate Programme.

·        Possible Loss of essential subjects, e.g. Physics, Chemistry, Art and Music which have been actively promoted in our schools/colleges in recent years.

·        Timetabling subjects at higher level, ordinary level and foundation level for one class cohort in some Schools/Colleges. These are essentially three different programmes and it is educationally unsound to meet the diverse needs of the students entrusted to our care. These programmes also employ different teaching methodologies.

·        The dismantling of the middle management structure in schools/colleges due to loss of Assistant Principals and Special Duty Teachers resulting from the Department’s embargo on filling these posts will result in important tasks not being carried out.

·        Loss of teaching and management expertise due to an increased number of teachers retiring. This will lead to a leadership and experience deficit in our schools/colleges.

The immediate implications for schools are as follows:
·        A shorter school week – there is simply less tuition time available as a result of cutbacks and increased enrolment in some centres.

·        Loss of subjects in some schools/colleges.

·        Loss of Co-Curricular activities that enhance experiential teaching e.g. sport, debating, public-speaking etc.

·        Loss of alternative and innovative programmes such as the Transition Year and Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA). Programmes such as the LCA work towards retaining students who may otherwise drop out of the education system.

TUI President Don Ryan said that TUI “are extremely concerned by the issues raised by the association and will be monitoring the situation closely and liaising with principals in the coming days and weeks.”