Written answers

Tuesday, 28 February 2012

Department of Education and Skills

School Staffing

8:00 pm

Photo of Brendan SmithBrendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Question 219: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his policy on the rehiring of retired teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11024/12]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I issued Circular 0031/2011 in May of last year. One purpose of which is to ensure, as far as practicable, that schools prioritise unemployed teachers over retired teachers. In particular, it prohibits schools from employing retired teachers to cover short-term absences unless all efforts to employ an appropriately qualified and registered teacher have failed. This circular also requires a school principal to keep a record as to why a retired teacher had to be employed and to report to the school's board of management on the instances where this arises.

In addition to the above, under Circular 0040/2011, teachers who are retired and who return to teaching are now remunerated at the first point of the revised salary scales applicable to new entrants. This represents a significant financial disincentive for teachers who retired at the top of their salary scale, often with a post of responsibility allowance, to return to teaching.

The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009 provided for a reduction in the pay of public servants. Under the Public Service Pension Rights Order 2011 (S.I. No. 80 of 2011), 29 February 2012 was set as the final date on which public servants could retire and have their pension entitlements calculated on the older, higher rates.

I am also seeking to reduce the impact of these retirements on students preparing for the State examinations. I am allowing schools to re-employ teachers who retire between 1 December 2011 and 29 February 2012, and who had been teaching classes due to sit State exams in 2012, until the end of the school year. These measures are confined to teachers teaching State examination classes in post-primary schools and do not apply to teachers with no exam classes or to primary school teachers. I am aware that there are a large number of qualified and registered teachers who are unable to source work at the current time. I am also very alive to the pressures our young people are under to perform well in their State exams. I believe that the approach being adopted strikes the right balance between the needs of students who face into significant examinations, the retiring teachers who have invested a huge amount of time and effort in preparing students for their examinations and those teachers who are looking forward to the opportunities presented by the increased level of retirements at a time of constrained resources.

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