‘Health and safety of students and school staff must be of paramount importance’ - TUI

By piofficer, Wednesday, 30th December 2020 | 0 comments

Commenting this evening on the announcement by the Taoiseach of a delay in the re-opening of schools after the Christmas holidays, Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) General Secretary Michael Gillespie said that the delay in re-opening must be used to ensure that schools are as safe as possible for students and staff.

‘It has always been TUI’s consistent position throughout the pandemic that the health and safety of students and staff must be of paramount importance.

There is grave concern and anxiety around the recent significant rise in the number of positive COVID-19 cases and the potential implications of the new variant of the disease.

Now that this announcement has been made, it is vital that the additional time be used to investigate what additional safety measures and enhancements may be required in schools. In this regard, any required resourcing must be made available.

We have said at all times that we will be guided by the advice of the public health authorities and we trust that there will be full consultation and engagement with the Department of Education and NPHET in relation to issues of concern in the coming days.’

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