O’Keeffe blames cuts on 60,000 sick days last year

EDUCATION Minister Batt O’Keeffe has pledged to push ahead with controversial cuts in the education sector — including a reduction in substitute teacher payments — pointing to figures which reveal how teachers called in sick nearly 60,000 times last year without sick notes.

According to the minister, the teachers took 12,734 uncertified sick days on Mondays last year, as well as 12,581 days of leave without a sick note on Fridays.

Mr O’Keeffe went on to say that mid-week uncertified sick leave on Wednesdays and Thursdays came to 11,407 and 11,131 days respectively and in total, teachers took uncertified sick leave 59,992 during the school year.