Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming in to deal with this issue himself. I am speaking on the role of primary school principals - teaching principals and those who are walking principals. I raise this after meeting the Irish Primary Principals Network and also from working closely with my colleague Councillor Alison Gilliland of the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO, which consistently raises this issue with me.

Put simply, the working conditions of primary school principals are unbearable. I know the Minister has set up a forum to deal with many of the issues I will outline but as part of the budget the Minister now has a unique opportunity to deal with these working conditions. If he does not do so, the educational benefit for children at primary level, which is so important and where my own children are today, will suffer.

I was gobsmacked to find out that the guidance on the role of principals has not been updated since a circular in 1975. That was the year I was born and this is not acceptable. There has been a range of missives and circulars issued on the role but the actual role has not been updated. Principals are expected to be in charge of all education and teaching in schools but are also expected to be administrators and the administration has now grown to an insufferable level. For instance, last year there were 84 circulars issued to primary school principals. How in the name of God can principals be in charge of the teaching component of the school, which is so important, and be in charge of administration at that level as well with the resources that they have?

Three people who I know well, one of whom is a good friend and all of whom are female, have resigned their jobs as primary school principals and teachers. They are more or less the same age as me and a couple of them are younger than me so they are all in their late 30s and early 40s. They are resigning as principals because they cannot bear the conditions they are working under. It is a real issue for them that it is actually more difficult to get back into teaching because teachers do not really have any rights in that sense. They do not even have panel rights so that is another issue the Minister needs to deal with.

Given all of the responsibility that principals now have and the fact that in many cases they now have to work through the summer to deal with the backlog of administration, the Oireachtas, including the Minister, must now deal with these real issues. They need more resources and they need greater pay and conditions. They have to know that the Department will support them in their role because voluntary boards will not cut it in terms of picking up the slack. There are so many good people on those boards and so many brilliant chairs of boards of management but it is still ultimately left with the principals to deal with having the best teaching conditions and to do all of the other administration, much of which is necessary but some of which could probably be better dealt with. A model for helping these people and resources for doing it must be found or the educational opportunities and benefits for my children and the children of this country will be affected.

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