O'Keeffe reveals extra €2.7m for supervision cover

AN ALLOCATION of an extra €2.7 million for supervision cover in second-level schools was announced by Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe.

Mr O’Keeffe said the funding was for the remainder of the school year to provide limited hours of substitution cover outside of the supervision and the substitution scheme.

“I intend that, during this period, there will be a full review of the substitution and supervision scheme, in conjunction with school management bodies and teachers’ union, with a view to taking up this additional €2.7 million expenditure,” he added.

Mr O’Keeffe said he would also be open to similar constructive suggestions from the primary school management bodies.

Meanwhile, Mr O’Keeffe was accused by Fine Gael spokesman Brian Hayes of engaging in a “dirty little war” with teachers and told that he owed them an apology, amid sharp Dáil exchanges.

Mr Hayes claimed the Minister had been putting about for the past month or so that there was a major problem of teachers taking “sickies”. However, he said, Mr O’Keeffe had revealed to the House that somewhere between one and two days on average was lost every year, while in the Department of Education last year close to nine days on average were lost per official.

“I want the Minister to apologise to the teachers of this country for the outrageous slur that he and his department have put about the place for the past month or so as a means of attacking teachers and their representatives,” Mr Hayes added.

“Will he apologise now? The information the Minister has given this House completely demolishes the outrageous spin that he has been putting out in the past month.”

Mr O’Keeffe replied that he did not write editorial headlines.

“Any information put out was on the basis of the facts. The facts are that I have a serious difficulty with the cost of substitution days, whether for uncertified sick leave, sick leave or other substitution,” he added.

“The costs have grown enormously. I do not have the funds to meet those costs. It is my job to point out exactly the number of days that are lost.”

Mr Hayes said that the figure was 1.9 days.

“It is 2.81 days in the second level and two days in the primary, and they teach 163 days of the year,” said Mr O’Keeffe.

The facts were, the Minister added, that there had been a substantial growth in the cost of substitution, sick days and uncertified sick leave, and the funding was not there to meet those costs.

Mr Hayes asked if the Minister would agree that there was not a problem of absenteeism among the primary and scondary schoolteachers in the State.

Mr O’Keeffe replied: “Of course, on the average of the Civil Service, by and large there is no difference across the board.”

Mr Hayes said: “Added to the slur is the dirty little war that the Minister has fought over the past month with the Irish teachers who . . . have one of the lowest rates of absenteeism of any workforce in the country.’’

Mr O’Keeffe said that he had pointed out that he was “astounded by the quality of the teachers in this country and the throughput of education”.