Leo Varadkar: No proposal to suspend career breaks for teachers

His comments appeared to undermine stated briefings from Education Minister Norma Foley earlier this week to that effect.

In response, Social Democrats education spokesman Gary Gannon said: “This suggests that the Minister for Education was either on a solo run or simply kite flying in the absence of any concrete proposals to address teacher shortages in our schools.” 

The Government’s “botched response” to the teacher shortage took another twist as the Tánaiste said there is no proposal to suspend career breaks.

This appeared to undermine stated briefings from Education Minister Norma Foley earlier this week to that effect.

In the Dáil, in response to a question from Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore, Leo Varadkar denied there was any Government proposal to review or suspend career breaks for teachers, as was widely reported this week.

Mr Varadkar told the Dáil: “There was no such incorporeal meeting that I was party to, and no decision has been made that I am aware of to suspend teacher's career breaks,” he said.

“Let me say this: the provision for career breaks is a very important one. There are many reasons people may need to take a career break, often personal and family reasons, as the Deputy appreciates. 

"The fact the provision for career breaks exists in the public service helps encourage people into the public service and is more likely to make them stay than leave. 

While there might be an examination of some of the exact terms, conditions and rules around that, there is not a proposal to stop career breaks. I want to make that clear.

Mr Varadkar claimed he was supportive of the benefits of career breaks and insisted he was not aware of any incorporeal Cabinet meeting that supposedly took place to discuss the plan.

In response, Social Democrats education spokesman Gary Gannon said: “This suggests that the Minister for Education was either on a solo run or simply kite flying in the absence of any concrete proposals to address teacher shortages in our schools.” 

He said it appears increasingly likely that Ms Foley was bounced into a panicked reaction in advance of a Private Members’ motion which demanded the Government to urgently address the escalating crisis. Instead, the Government cynically tried to shift the blame onto those at the coalface of the crisis.

Mr Gannon said the Government’s ham-fisted response to the motion shows it is completely out of ideas and grasping at straws.

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“With the career break plan dead in the water after just 24 hours, the question is: will the minister adopt any of our proposals to resolve the recruitment crisis in our primary and secondary schools? Or is she content to allow the situation to further deteriorate – with children and teachers paying the price of her failure to resolve it,” he said.

A spokesman for Ms Foley said it was never proposed to eliminate career breaks, they were not even named in the memorandum presented to Cabinet. He said Ms Foley is cognisant that career breaks are used for a variety of valid reasons such as family care or to avail of other professional opportunities.

It is important to note that there are no proposals on the table to eliminate career breaks but rather to evaluate current non-statutory leave, and to consider whether temporary and modest amendments to these leave schemes could support teacher supply, he added.

“No decision has been made or will be made without consultation with the partners in education,” he said.