Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It is more than anecdotal evidence. The chairwoman of a group representing principals of primary schools in Dublin 15 wrote an alarming letter to The Irish Times, the first few sentences of which stated:

We have collated the figures for the month of September 2017 alone and they make for disturbing reading – the number of school days when substitute teachers were not available to cover absences in Dublin 15 during September 2017 was 546. As a result, classes are divided and children are being sent to other available classrooms, often at short notice, resulting in disruption and overcrowding in those classrooms. The education of all concerned is significantly compromised on these occasions. Often, special education teachers are required to suspend their support timetables to teach mainstream classes, thereby depriving the most vulnerable children of their vital supports.

The principals of schools in Dublin 15 hold a different view to that of the Minister. There is an emerging crisis in regard to substitute teachers.

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