Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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411. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps she is taking to address the significant increase in demand for substitution in recent weeks given the high number of Covid cases and the increasing staff absences in schools as a result. [16025/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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A number of additional measures have been put in place to enhance substitute cover.

At primary level additional posts have been allocated to primary substitute teacher supply panels in areas where significant challenges in sourcing substitution continue, bringing the total to 680 posts on 142 panels, covering approximately 2,700 schools.

The supply panels work alongside the existing methods of sourcing substitute teachers, such as Sub Seeker,the national substitution portal service operated by the Irish Primary Principals' Network and schools can also make local arrangements to have their own regular substitutes to call on if needed.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) providing professional master of education (PME) programmes have ensured flexibility in programme delivery to enhance the availability of PME students for substitute work. PME students have been advised to register with the Teaching Council and with Sub Seeker.

In addition, HEIs providing undergraduate programmes of primary and post-primary initial teacher education have agreed to facilitate the release of 3^rdand 4^thyear student teachers to support schools.

To support this measure the Teaching Council has recently made regulations for the registration of 3^rd and 4^thyears student teachers and is currently developing a system for their registration. Pending registration with the Council, these students are still classified as unregistered persons and subject to the ‘5 day rule’. Until the system to provide for their registration is in place, and in order to support their availability to carry out substitution, I recently made amending regulations providing for an interim provision exempting 3^rdand 4^thyear students from the ‘5 day rule’. This amendment is strictly time limited from 15th February 2022 and to 30th June 2022. The ‘5 day rule’ remains in place for the employment of all other unregistered persons.

At post primary level teachers could provide up to a maximum of 35 additional teaching hours between 29^thNovember 2021 and 28^thFebruary 2022. In order to continue to support schools to source substitution cover, this provision has been extended for a further period, allowing up to a maximum of a further 35 additional teaching hours between 1st March 2022 and 31st May 2022.

These measures are in addition to changes to the career break scheme, to permit teachers on career break to do unlimited substitution and changes to the job sharing scheme to permit job sharing teachers carry out substitute work on the days they are rostered off.

My Department and its Inspectorate continue to provide support to schools where they experience difficulties in sourcing sufficient substitute cover.