To ensure that schools remain safe, TUI recommends 18th January at a minimum as date for re-opening
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland has recommended that the current closure period for schools be extended to 18thJanuary at a minimum.
Speaking today, in advance of a meeting with the Department of Education and Skills, TUI General Secretary, Michael Gillespie, said that the very significant increase in COVID-19 cases, in the rate of positive tests and the R number, allied with the threat represented by the UK variant, have caused justifiable alarm. The measures advised by the public health authorities and implemented by government reflect this.
“Among the measures was a delay - to 11th January - in re-opening schools after the Christmas break,” said Mr Gillespie. “However, logically the date for re-opening should be 18th January at a minimum as this will allow for the 14-day period that is required to determine whether or not implementation of the Level 5 measures has been effective in suppressing spread of the virus in the community.
“Students, parents, teachers and the broader community need assurance that schools remain relatively safe and that re-opening can be sustained,” he continued.
“To re-open too early is recklessly to tempt fate,” he added. “It would be wiser and more prudent to have a short delay, inconvenient as that may be, than to run the risk of having schools become centres for concentrated spread of the virus.”
“Our members, teachers and principal teachers alike, want schools to be sustainably open and have worked very hard to create and maintain the standards and conditions for sustainable opening. They know that key to this is keeping the school community safe. That builds trust and confidence.
If the return is rushed it is very likely that the incidence of the virus in schools will accelerate, that student and teacher absence will rise sharply to the point where trust is lost and longer term school closure becomes inevitable. We want to prevent that and, in that context, believe that delaying re-opening until 18th January at a minimum makes clear sense and would allow the current suppression measures to have greatest effect.
Therefore, we are asking government to make a decision to this effect now so that schools can make the necessary preparations for emergency remote (online) provision for the week beginning 11th January.”