School managers to tackle Coughlan on promotion ban

TÁNAISTE Mary Coughlan faces pressure from angry school managers today to explain how she will ease restrictions on promotions that are restricting services for students and overloading principals with extra work.

She is due to address 400 principals and management board chairpersons of second level schools at their conference in Kilkenny, more than three weeks after announcing to a teacher union conference that she will introduce measures to help schools worst affected by the ban on middle management promotions ban in place for over a year.

Ferdia Kelly, general secretary of the Joint Managerial Body which represents the management of 392 religious-run secondary schools, said the effects of the moratorium are by far the biggest issue of concern to delegates as they expect the crisis to deepen significantly when hundreds more post-holders retire during the summer holidays.