Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 9, to delete lines 19 and 20.

The Bill provides for a matter that is more suited to the industrial relations sphere, namely, the requirement that teachers complete programmes of continuing education and development. This matter deserves greater consultation with teachers instead of making it mandatory for them to engage in continuing professional development. Teachers recognise the need for professional development, but the question of whether training programmes are relevant and useful needs to be discussed in greater detail with them. Teachers have already been forced to work additional hours under the Haddington Road agreement and have lost approximately 20% of their pay. There should be further discussion with them and their union representatives before we introduce an ill-defined requirement for them to complete further work under the guise of continuing professional development. We should not be imposing it on them by law. That is the reason for my amendment which proposes to remove the relevant section. I am interested in hearing the Minister's response, but the amendment is reasonable.

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