Bad teachers face sack after 90 days
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BAD teachers will be given three months to shape up or face the sack.
Dismissal is the most extreme sanction outlined in confidential proposals drawn up by the Department of Education and Science.
The others are withdrawal of a pay rise, demotion and suspension.
These are the toughest proposals yet drawn up by the department. But disciplinary action will not be triggered by "sustained performance deficiencies" alone. Similar sanctions can be used in the case of misconduct, or where the teacher poses a threat to the health and safety of students.
Before it takes a final decision, the school board of management can ask the chief inspector to bring in a competent authority to decide on the teacher's ongoing suitability for the job. But the board is not obliged to do so.
The person who conducts the review will have "unfettered access" to the school, classrooms and teacher as necessary. Failure to co-operate with the review will itself be a disciplinary matter.
An independent appeals group will be appointed by the minister and the group's report will be binding on the board and teacher.
There are 55,000 primary and second-level teachers in Irish schools and the department says a "significant majority" of them discharge their duties in a competent and efficient way. Just a minority underperform and for some the difficulty can be transient and relatively short-term.
The latest "fast-track" proposals were put recently to the unions who are extremely unhappy with many aspects.
They want the department to spell out exactly the proposed range of support and teacher welfare services to assist underperforming teachers. They also feel that the time scale for improvement is very short.
Deficiencies of a "transient nature" should be resolved through informal mechanisms "within a school term", usually about three months. These transient deficiencies will not normally form part of formal disciplinary procedures. But disciplinary action will be taken against the "small minority" of teachers who have sustained performance deficiencies, or have been found guilty of misconduct or pose a threat to the health and safety of students.
In the case of serious underperformance, a plan will be drawn up setting out the deficiencies and the required improvement. The principal will provide written reports to the board and the teacher will be given a copy, with the option of responding in writing.
If the board is satisfied the improvement has been made, the teacher will be informed in writing and the issue will conclude. It is expected the required remediation of "sustained underperformance" will take place within a term.
The Irish Independent understands a drafting group has been established comprising union, management and department representatives.
The latest draft goes some way towards meeting union objections to original proposals last September which left the final decision to the principal. Now there is provision for the chief inspector to appoint a competent person to review the teacher's performance.
The talks are taking place in the context of a commitment in Towards 2016 to review Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 which deals with suspension and dismissal of teachers.
- John Walshe Education Editor
