The blanket approach towards re-opening schools has been described by a Clare teachers representative as short-sighted and over ambitious.
It comes ahead of the re-opening of schools tomorrow, amid concern over severe staff shortages in some areas.
School resumes as planned tomorrow, following a meeting between teaching unions and the Department of Education.
That’s despite concern that some schools could be missing up to 50 percent of their stuff due to COVID-related absences.
The Education Minister has said the move will ‘not be without challenge’, but Norma Foley says ‘significant resources’ are being put in place to ensure schools open tomorrow and stay open.
The Assistant Principal at CBS Primary School in Ennis believes yesterday’s meeting with union representatives was just for optics, with the decision to re-open already made.
Colm Davoran says smaller schools will be hit the hardest, with many leaning on suppport staff to make up numbers, which would impact heavily on the most vulnerable students.
He says the lack of notice has left schools under considerable pressure.
The Chair of the Clare branch of teachers’ union the TUI believes a reactive approach will now have to be taken rather than a proactive one and that every school should instead have automony to work with what they have.
Kate Hehir, who’s a teacher at St Michael’s Community College in Kilmihil says the decision to open this week was short sighted and over ambitious from a health and safety point of view.
She insists that adequate support measures should have been in place before children re-entered the school environment.
Some parents in Clare have expressed concern that the return to schools has been premature, particularly in light of the fact that the vaccination programme is only now getting underway for 5 to 11 year olds.
Pauline O’Shea from Ardnacrusha says postponing for a fortnight would have made more sense.
Cratloe Mother of two, Trish Lehane insists that it’s time that we learn to live with the virus.
But she’s worried about what will happen if children go to school and there aren’t enough teachers on duty.
