Teachers Union of Ireland calls for pause on reopening schools amid concern over reckless decision
Concerns have flooded in over the reckless decision to open schools for Leaving Cert students as the country sees thousands of new Covid cases each day
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Dr Holohan said the core priority must be protecting the overall health and wellbeing of children.
“Given the staffing challenges already evident across the health and social care sector, it will also be important that measures are taken to limit the impact of a closure of schools on health care workers and other essential workers,” he said.
“Specific measures should also be taken to ensure that more vulnerable children can best be supported over the coming weeks”.
Schools will remain closed until the end of January at least, except for Leaving Cert students, who will attend three days a week.
Dr Holohan said the core priority must be protecting the overall health and wellbeing of children.
“Given the staffing challenges already evident across the health and social care sector, it will also be important that measures are taken to limit the impact of a closure of schools on health care workers and other essential workers,” he said.
“Specific measures should also be taken to ensure that more vulnerable children can best be supported over the coming weeks”.
Schools will remain closed until the end of January at least, except for Leaving Cert students, who will attend three days a week.
Schools To Defy Government Request To Reopen For Leaving Cert Students
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Primary and secondary schools are to remain closed until at least February, but Leaving Cert students will be asked to attend for three days a week from Monday.
However, the Teachers Union of Ireland is calling for these plans to be paused, arguing that an unprecedented number of teachers have expressed fears about physically returning to work from 11 January.
The TUI also says schools were not given enough notice and therefore are not prepared for the attendance of 61,000 Leaving Cert students.
To discuss this we were joined by Joanne Irwin, Assistant General Secretary of the TUI, and Arthur Godsil, former headmaster of St. Andrew s College and Director of Godsil Education.
The union expressed serious concern about the expectation that these specialised settings could reopen fully from next Monday “without necessary preparation time and protections required for staff and students when virtually everyone else in the country was being forced to stay at home in a frantic effort to flatten the curve.”
There are 1,836 special classes in 964 schools, catering mainly for children with Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD), 124 special schools as well as other units for children requiring high levels of care and protection.
Mr Boyle said special schools, students and staff did not exist in a bubble separate from wider society.