Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I declare an interest in this matter because I was formerly a primary school principal, and may become one again very soon. I am speaking with a certain level of knowledge, therefore. In regard to the issue of school leadership, when people go into the profession of teaching the idea of becoming a principal probably does not enter their minds. Is this something that should be dealt with at the teacher training stage, perhaps by way of a module, induction or conversation about school leadership? School teaching is a very isolating job and sometimes it is tempting not to look outside one's classroom and students. Should a sense of school leadership that could possibly be transformed into a consideration of the wider school community and the role of principals be encouraged at an early stage?

Many teachers become principals by accident. They may never have thought the day would come when the staffroom would ask them to take over. People step up to the role partly out of a sense of duty and often reluctantly because there is no boundary to a principal's responsibility. The biggest difference between my current job and my previous one is that I am no longer expected to fix the photocopier. As a principal, I had to fix the photocopier and everything else. There was no point at which I could say "that is somebody else's responsibility." That is a stressful position and it prevents principals from focusing on their primary role as a leader for learning. They are dealing with everything else, from paperwork to departmental requirements, and sometimes things get dropped. Do the witnesses agree there is a big difference, in terms of resources, between the principal of a school with 100 pupils and a school with 600 pupils? How best can we manage that difference? The stresses are similar but they have to be balanced with a reasonable expectation of resources.

In regard to Senator Power's point about the various reports that have not been implemented, perhaps Mr. Byrne and the departmental officials could comment on the issues arising. It is wonderfully empowering to be a leader in any sphere but we must acknowledge at an early stage that the job of principal is very different to that of a teacher.