Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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418. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the difference in operational terms between the teacher exchange scheme which operated until the 2018-2019 academic year and the scheme of temporary reassignment for registered teachers in recognised primary schools which commenced in the 2018-2019 academic year. [9048/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the Teacher Exchange Scheme for Registered Teachers in Recognised Primary Schools operated up to the 2018/18 academic year under the terms of Circular 17/2015. It provided for teachers to avail of an exchange with a teacher in another school for educational purposes for a period of up to 5 years.

Circular 54/2019 issued in the 2018/2019 academic year and set out the terms of the Temporary Reassignment Scheme for Primary Teachers. The primary difference between the two schemes is that the maximum period allowable under Circular 54/2019 is 3 years for the purpose of a temporary reassignment.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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419. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there were examples of teachers who exceeded the allowed number of years that primary school teachers were allowed to avail of under the teacher exchange scheme and-or the scheme of temporary reassignment for registered teachers in recognised primary schools; and if so, the locations in which this occurred and the reasons. [9049/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that, in the current academic year, there are 18 teachers who have exceeded the 3 year permissible under the Temporary Reassignment Scheme for Primary Teachers as set out in Circular 0024/2019.

Due to the effects of the pandemic and the difficulties being experienced by people in terms of relocating, etc. the Department relaxed the rules around the duration of a teacher reassignment arrangement as an exceptional matter for teachers who were in their 3rd year of their reassignment. The locations of these teachers are as follows:

Galway - 8 teachers

Kerry - 2 teachers

Dublin - 2 teachers

Westmeath - 2 teachers

Cavan - 1 teacher

Cork - 1 teacher

Leitrim - 1 teacher

Mayo - 1 teacher

The equivalent information for the teacher exchange scheme which ran up to the 2018/2019 academic year are not readily available at this time.