Calls for teachers' bonus payments to be reviewed

The Government is being called on to review a number of bonus payments for teachers, it has emerged.

Up to €30m a year in bonus payments is being paid out for teachers to supervise state examinations and mark papers, according to a report in today's Irish Daily Mail.

A number of TDs are arguing that these duties should be a part of the teachers' annual salary.

Commenting today, General Secretary of the Association of Secondary School Teachers in Ireland Pat King said correcting exams is extremely hard work - and therefore extra pay should be provided.

"To correct examinations is a very complex activity," he said.

"It takes hundreds of people, working many, many long weeks to correct the… Leaving Cert and Junior Cert exams.

"To correct one exam paper - for example, an honours English Leaving Cert paper - takes an hour, and you have 50,000 students doing the exam."