Department must address teachers’ concerns on health and safety – TUI

By piofficer, Sunday, 18th October 2020 | 0 comments

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has sought urgent engagement with the Department of Education on the situation for schools in any escalation of COVID-19 restrictions. 

The Union said that it has been frustrated by the Department’s failure to address vital issues in recent days.  

Speaking today, TUI General Secretary Michael Gillespie said:

Potential of escalation in restrictions a matter of huge stress to teachers 

“The pandemic is a source of extreme stress and anxiety for our members, many of whom have serious underlying health issues themselves or else share a household with a person or people with underlying health issues.  

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has spiralled in recent weeks and as a result the potential risk to school staff and students must be re-assessed. 

We have been frustrated by our efforts to have our concerns addressed by the Department. 

TUI has already sought detailed clarification on why it could be safe for schools to remain open at Level 5 if the rest of society is effectively locked down.  We will insist on consistency, clarity and certainty for our members. We have stated at all times that we will be guided by the public health advice, but a detailed rationale based on the most up-to-date evidence is a necessity.

Teachers also have concerns about the definition of ‘close contacts’ in schools, and this is adding to stress and uncertainty. 

In addition, delays in both testing and delays in receiving test results are making the day-to-day running of schools extremely difficult due to teacher shortages and the lack of substitute teachers in the system. “

Chronic underfunding at second level exacerbating problems 

“It is unacceptable that many school buildings were barely fit for purpose before ever the challenge of COVID-19 arose. The sector has been chronically underfunded. At second level, last month’s latest OECD figures show that Ireland’s spend is the lowest of the 36 countries for which figures are provided, trailing unacceptably far behind the OECD and European averages. This has made the re-opening of schools under new restrictions an even more difficult task. 

Ventilation and heating problems will now become critical as we move towards colder weather. Many schools, particularly those based in older buildings, will require new ventilation solutions and monitors to signify when air exchange is required. Again, the required resourcing must be provided.”  

Audit of schools required   

“As we have previously stated, all schools must be audited to ensure that they have the necessary and essential resources to ensure full compliance with public health advice. There can be no limit on available funding in this regard.”

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