Implementation of recommendations will lead to greater job security for young teachers
Minister for Education and Skills, Jan O’Sullivan, TD, today welcomed the publication, following engagement with the education partners, of two circular letters which set out the detailed arrangements and procedures for the implementation of seven of the recommendations of the Expert Group on Fixed-Term and Part-Time Employment in Primary and Second Level Education in Ireland to be put in place from the commencement of the school year 2015/2016.
The Minister pointed out that the implementation of Report of the Expert Group on fixed-term and part-time employment in teaching is a key plank of the Haddington Road Agreement.
According to Minister O’Sullivan, “I share concerns that have been expressed about the casualisation of employment in the education sector. For instance, in the post-primary sector more than one in three teachers is on afixed-term or part-time contract. This is not a tenable situation.”
One of the key features of the new procedures is that the qualification period for the granting of an initial Contract of Indefinite Duration (CID) is reduced from a period of continuous employment in excess of three years with the same employer to a period of continuous employment in excess of two years.
“I would like to once again thank Mr. Peter Ward SC, and the other members of the Expert Group for their report. I would also like to thank the education partners for their contribution towards the implementation of the report’s recommendations. Implementation of these circulars represents a significant improvement in the job security and stability of employment for existing and future young teachers. Ultimately, this will benefit not only individual teachers, but our education system as a whole.”
The circulars are available here: http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Circulars-and-Forms/
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Notes for Editors:
The Haddington Road Agreement provided for the establishment of an Expert Group to consider and report on the level of fixed-term and part-time employment in teaching, having regard to the importance for teachers of employment stability and security and taking account of system and school needs and Teaching Council registration requirements.
The Group was established with an independent chairperson, Peter Ward, SC. The chairperson consulted extensively with all of the stakeholders and interested parties.
The report noted the high level of casualisation of employment, particularly in second-level teaching, where 35% of teachers are fixed-term, part-time, or both. The equivalent figure in primary teaching is 9%. An over-reliance on fixed-term and part-time employment has implications for the security of employment of teachers and has led to concerns about the future attractiveness of teaching as a professional career, with implications for the quality of the education provided to pupils.
The report recommends a suite of measures which will lead to more job security for fixed-term and part-time teachers.
It recommends seven changes should take place from the commencement of the 2015 school year. These changes would allow fixed-term teachers to acquire permanent positions more easily and quickly, and enable part-time teachers to gain additional hours.
The report also provides for extended redeployment arrangements that give school management more flexibility in redeploying teachers in the event of mismatch between teacher qualifications and the curricular needs of schools.