Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is very generous of the Acting Chairman. I welcome the teaching unions. They are doing a fantastic job and there is a very difficult task ahead. Every school has a plan and every school is different. Who signs off on those plans? How are productivity and needs verified?

A small school in County Louth, Rampark national school, will lose two teachers this year. Large schools in Drogheda have over 1,200 or 1,300 students. They will need a lot more staff to be able to manage and ensure systems are adhered to and to guarantee that if somebody needs to be looked after, he or she will be. I worked in a school with 1,200 pupils, and anyone who stood in their way at 4 p.m. might not last too long. Large numbers of people will have to be controlled and kept distant from each other. Will staggered hours be required? By that I mean will only some pupils go to school at 9 a.m. and others later so that the whole school is not occupied by all of the students at one time?

Students in post-primary schools often move around from one subject class to another. Should pupils stay in one room for as much of the time as possible for subjects like languages, maths and so on? How will practical rooms like science and technology laboratories, which are smaller and cannot accommodate social distancing, be dealt with?

Teachers, students and parents face a major task. The key message from the unions today is that they are prepared to work with everybody. The Government is prepared to work with them. Parents are also key. To be successful in teaching is very difficult at the best of times, but the task facing the unions is mammoth. I would be happy to hear what the witnesses have to say in response to my questions.