Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 494: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the system she has of monitoring the appointment of primary school principals in the 3,300 primary schools; the way her Department is notified of a vacancy occurring from the death or the retirement of a primary school principal; the onus of responsibility on her Department and that of the board of management to seek to appoint a replacement principal; the procedures associated with this course of action including the relevant circular pertaining to the appointment of primary principals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4849/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the terms of the Education Act, 1998, the Board of Management of a primary school is responsible for the recruitment, selection and appointment of all teachers to a school, including principal teachers. Vacancies and subsequent appointments are notified to my Department by the Board of Management.

The procedures for the appointment of a principal teacher are set out in Appendix D of the publication, Boards of Management Constitution of Boards and Rules of Procedure (revised November, 2007), copies of which are available in all primary schools to the Board of Management members and is also on my Department website, www.education.ie. The eligibility criteria for principal teacher posts are outlined in Department Circular 02/02 and the advertising procedures are also set out in Department Circular 19/05, both available on my Department website.