Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the guidelines provided to primary schools regarding job sharing of teachers; if there are limits to the number of job sharing posts a school can have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24635/19]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with the Education Act, the terms and conditions of employment of teachers employed in approved posts funded by monies provided by the Oireachtas are determined by the Minister for Education and Skills with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.  

The Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC) is the recognised forum for dealing with matters relating to the pay and conditions of service for teachers. The Council is comprised of representatives of teachers, school management, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Education & Skills and is chaired by an official of the Workplace Relations Commission.

Following negotiations under the auspices of the TCC the booklet “Terms and Conditions of Employment for Registered Teachers in Recognised Primary and Post Primary Schools – Edition 2” issued by my Department sets out the general terms in Chapter 1 and the more specific terms for Job Sharing in Chapter 9.

The employer of teachers in recognised schools is the Board of Management/Manager/Education and Training Board and Chapter 1 of the ‘General Provisions’ states that:

“1.1 Each employer shall develop and maintain a policy on teacher absences, including non-statutory schemes i.e. Job Sharing, Career Breaks, Unpaid Leave, specific to the needs of the school authority.

1.2 In drawing up this policy, the welfare and educational needs of the pupils shall take precedence over all other considerations.

1.3 This policy shall have due regard to the capacity of the school to meet its obligations to its pupils and may therefore apply a limit to the number of teaching staff that may avail of non-statutory leave schemes at any one time. Employers must consider applications in the context of other non-statutory leave and statutory leave and also take into account the availability of an appropriately qualified replacement teacher.”