The rollout of carbon dioxide monitors to all schools looks set to be delayed until next month after faults were identified in 10,000 devices.

Teachers’ unions reacted to the delay with “extreme disappointment” given the need to ensure adequate ventilation due to the threat posed by the more transmissible Delta variant of Covid-19.

The full delivery of about 35,000 carbon dioxide monitors to all State primary and secondary schools was due to have been completed by early next week.

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However, The Irish Times reported on Wednesday that Lennox Laboratories – which manages logistics for the supply of monitors to schools – alerted the Department of Education to a fault with a final batch of 10,000 devices.

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Faulty LCD displays in the units were identified when they were checked following assembly in a UK production facility, according to Lennox.

The defective monitors have not been distributed to schools and there are no similar concerns with any of the 25,000 devices that have already been distributed to schools, it said.

Given global demand for the devices, the company expects the rollout of remaining devices is likely to be delayed until October.

The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) said the delay was extremely disappointing at a time when all in school communities were doing so much to tackle the challenges of Covid-19.

"TUI first called for the provision of these monitors last November, and if the process of procurement and distribution had begun at this time, schools would already have their full quantity," said the union's general secretary Michael Gillespie.

“We have made strong representation to the Department of Education today that the outstanding allocation of these monitors must be delivered to schools as soon as is possible.”

‘Disheartening’

The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) also expressed “dismay” at the news.

"These monitors constitute an important extra tool in the fight to ensure that Covid-19 transmission is minimised in schools," said ASTI president Eamon Dennehy. "School communities have worked so hard to ensure that the infection prevention and control measures are effective throughout this pandemic.

“It is disheartening in the extreme that the rollout of these monitors to schools has been delayed. It is incumbent on the Department of Education to now make every effort to ensure that the problem is addressed as a matter of urgency.”

Minister for Education Norma Foley had pledged that all school classrooms would be equipped with carbon dioxide monitors by mid-September.

A spokesman said the Department of Education was “disappointed” at the news that there would be a delay with the delivery.

In the meantime, he said schools can opt to purchase their own monitors to make up for the shortfall and costs incurred can be recouped.

Carbon dioxide monitors measure the quality of air in a room and allow staff to quickly identify where ventilation needs to be improved.

Letting fresh air into indoor spaces can help remove air that contains virus particles and is important in preventing the spread of Covid-19.

Latest figures indicate that about 25,000 carbon dioxide monitors will be in schools by the end of this week.

About 96 per cent of primary schools will have received their full allocation of monitors, while secondary schools will have received a partial delivery, according to Lennox.

The company said it was on target to have the full cohort of 35,000 monitors delivered to schools by the beginning of next week, prior to issues with the final batch being identified.

Primary schools are due to receive between one and 20 devices each, depending on their size, and secondary schools are due to receive up to 35 monitors each.