Schools could be forced to deal with teacher problems

SCHOOLS may be forced to deal themselves with under-performing teachers under controversial proposals from the Department of Education which has previously had responsibility in this area.

The revised procedures for dealing with such staff have been proposed in talks with teacher unions and school management bodies as part of a commitment in the Towards 2016 social partnership deal, under which new rules are due to be put in place from next September.

While personal difficulties and other factors affecting a teacher’s performance in class has traditionally been a matter for school boards of management, the proposals seek to hand over responsibility for monitoring teaching ability from the department’s inspectors to the principal and the board. This is likely to cause a stumbling block in negotiations which started at the Teachers’ Conciliation Council last week.

It may have particular ramifications at second level, where it can be difficult to gauge the effectiveness of a teacher with multiple classes and where specialised subjects may be more difficult to monitor by management.

In the past, less than a handful of teachers a year have been dismissed for misconduct or teaching difficulties but many take early retirement before disciplinary action can be taken.

The new direction being suggested by department officials is in line with Education Minister Mary Hanafin’s belief that schools should intervene much earlier where teachers are experiencing problems.

This may, however, be partly addressed by the employee assistance service set up by the department last year to help teachers with difficulties, either due to personal problems or professional problems.

The new procedures were proposed last week as the Teaching Council began a series of regional meetings to seek views on draft codes of professional conduct it published before Christmas. The council has a statutory role in setting standards and handling complaints about a member of the profession, with power to rule on a teacher’s fitness to practice.