The TUI was invited by the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science to make a submission on ‘Ensuring that schools are open in a manner which is both safe and sustainable’.
TUI’s submission can be found here.
Summary of key points
The Teachers’ Union of Ireland wants to keep schools open, as long as it is safe and sustainable to do so. Our members – teachers, including principal teachers - worked tirelessly from June to September to re-open schools. The task for us all now is to ensure they remain open in a safe and sustainable manner. Having analysed what this will require, the TUI is therefore calling for:
- Society to play its part
- Accurate, detailed and meaningful data on the transmission of COVID-19 in schools
- Rapid testing for all school staff and students
- Effective contact tracing implemented immediately by the HSE
- Additional protective measures for high-risk teachers
- Leave for long term COVID-19 Related illness
- More COVID-19 compliance inspections in our schools
- Additional teachers
- An end to pay discrimination
- Additional Resourcing – capital expenditure, ventilation, ICT equipment and training
- Workload issues to be addressed
- Restoration of middle management structures in schools
- No new administrative initiatives
- Necessary adjustments to curriculum
- A definitive decision on the running of the state certified Leaving Certificate exams in 2021