Cork Life Centre losing teachers to mainstream schools

Erin Laughton, Caoimhe Cotter, Vesta Cimermanaite, and Ryan Sharpe celebrating their Leaving Certificate results at Cork Life Centre. Picture: Denis Minihane

Cork Life Centre risks losing teachers to mainstream schools due to delays in improving their employment conditions, Education Minister Norma Foley has been warned. 

Ms Foley faced questions from TDs and senators as she attended the Oireachtas education committee on Tuesday evening. Cork Life Centre, the education centre based in Sunday's Well that works with those outside of mainstream education, lost eight teachers over the summer, the committee heard.

Following the review of the out-of-school education provision, a working group has been appointed to develop a sustainable pathway to the alternative education sector, said Ms Foley.

“The key consideration here is sustainability and securing sustainability of these centres going forward. We are driving forward with that review and the implementation,” she said. 

Sinn Féin TD for Cork South Central Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the minister to confirm if staff at alternative education centres such as Cork Life Centre can gather increments towards their salaries or pensions.

Ms Foley confirmed they cannot currently, adding that employment terms and conditions are being looked at as part of the review process. 

Mr Ó Laoghaire said: “You may see it as a vocation, and you may be very committed to the institution, but at the end of the day, anyone is entitled to consider what is that going to mean for me in the long term, what is that going to mean for my pension.

Accordingly, institutions and organisations like the Life Centre are going to struggle to hold on to people and that is a fact.”

Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North Central Padraig O’Sullivan said the committee appreciated that the review process is working away behind the scenes.

“Unfortunately, all these reviews take time," he said.

"Every year spent on this review and on this implementation is another year [director] Don O’Leary and the people in the Life Centre could potentially lose a much-needed maths teacher who might have a better offer in mainstream. Time is pertinent,” he added. 

Don O'Leary, director, Cork Life Centre. Picture: Howard Crowdy

Solidarity TD for Cork North Central Mick Barry told the minister that the centre lost eight staff members this summer. 

“All of them had worked there for a minimum of six years. Some of them had worked there for 12 or 13 years. The director warned in advance that there would be staff lost in the summer," he said.

“With the cost-of-living crisis, there can’t be an expectation of keeping staff who are not paid properly or not paid at all in some cases.” 

The Life Centre has been able to maintain the curriculum, said Mr Barry. “But it is a huge loss of experience," he said.

“For an education centre that works on a model of relationships between staff and young people, losing eight staff is a huge blow and it’s a blow that they'll face again next year unless there's a solution to this issue between here and then.” 

Senator Eileen Flynn asked the minister what her department’s commitment is to Cork Life Centre. 

“We've seen the ombudsman report around the importance of the education centre, and, of course, we've listened to the views of young people here around this table,” she said.