Employment law putting schools at risk of teacher shortages

SCHOOLS could be left short of teachers in essential subjects because of an employment law guaranteeing permanency, after four years for contracted staff.

School managers are seeking talks with the Department of Education to review the 2003 Protection of Employees (Fixed Term Work) Act, for which procedures have been in place, in schools, since 2006.

The rules mean that a teacher is entitled to a contract of indefinite duration (CID), equivalent to permanent employment, if they have worked for four years, or more, at the same school under two or more contracts. Around 450 second-level teachers were given CIDs this year, bringing the total number with such contracts to almost 2,000.