Teachers' union 'frustrated' with Department of Education over Covid-19 engagement

The teachers' union has hit out at a lack of engagement in recent days. Picture: File 

Covid-19 is a source of "extreme stress and anxiety" for teachers  who have underlying health conditions or who are living with vulnerable people, the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) has said. 

The union has criticised the Department of Education for a lack of engagement over coronavirus concerns and said the department has failed to "address vital issues in recent days".

The union has again questioned why schools will remain open at Level 5, while businesses and non-essential services are to be closed. 

Concerns about defining 'close contacts' have also remained unanswered, said the union.

Yesterday, the  Irish Examiner revealed that vulnerable students in class with a special needs assistant (SNA) who tested positive for Covid-19 were not deemed close contacts by the HSE, even though they were not wearing masks.

The SNA, at a Cork secondary school, tested positive two weeks ago, but had been teaching the week prior to contracting the virus.

In a statement this afternoon, TUI general secretary, Michael Gillespie, said: "The pandemic is a source of extreme stress and anxiety for our members, many of whom have serious underlying health issues themselves, or else share a household with a person, or people, with underlying health issues.

"The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has spiralled in recent weeks and, as a result, the potential risk to school staff and students must be re-assessed."

Consistency, clarity, and certainty

Mr Gillespie said that a lack of resources was also impeding schools during the pandemic, along with Covid-19 testing delays. 

"We have been frustrated by our efforts to have our concerns addressed by the department.

"TUI has already sought detailed clarification on why it could be safe for schools to remain open at Level 5 if the rest of society is effectively locked down," Mr Gillsepie said. 

"We will insist on consistency, clarity, and certainty for our members. We have stated, at all times, that we will be guided by the public health advice, but a detailed rationale, based on the most up-to-date evidence, is a necessity.

"Teachers also have concerns about the definition of 'close contacts' in schools, and this is adding to stress and uncertainty.

"In addition, delays in both testing and delays in receiving test results are making the day-to-day running of schools extremely difficult, due to teacher shortages and the lack of substitute teachers in the system," said Mr Gillespie. 

Calls for resources

Mr Gillespie repeated the union's calls for an audit of all schools to ensure they have the funding to  comply with public health guidelines during the pandemic. 

The statement from Mr Gillespie claimed that underfunding has compromised the ability of schools to respond to the coronavirus, especially at second level. 

Mr Gillespie said: "It is unacceptable that many school buildings were barely fit for purpose before ever the challenge of Covid-19 arose. 

"The sector has been chronically underfunded at second level. Last month’s latest OECD figures show that Ireland’s spend is the lowest of the 36 countries for which figures are provided, trailing unacceptably far behind the OECD and European averages. 

"This has made the reopening of schools under new restrictions an even more difficult task," he said. 

Winter will bring additional challenges for schools, said the general secretary, as dated heating equipment and ventilation problems have remained unaddressed.

"Ventilation and heating problems will now become critical as we move towards colder weather. Many schools, particularly those based in older buildings, will require new ventilation solutions and monitors to signify when air exchange is required. Again, the required resourcing must be provided,” said Mr Gillespie.