Northern Ireland teachers’ unions said the current cuts to schools were “insufficient”.
The NI umbrella has acknowledged that “On the advice of five teachers, the Northern Ireland Teachers Council (NITC) issued a statement on Monday 10 January, ahead of Stormont Council’s scheduled appearance before the Minister of Education.
The plenary session of the General Assembly is expected to outline plans to keep children safe in schools in light of the recent increase in coronavirus cases in the community.
Speaking on behalf of the NITC, NASUWT Regional Officer Justin McKimville said school leaders and teachers are understaffed.
He said, “The current situation in the education system is a source of great concern and pressure for school leaders, teachers, students and parents.
School leaders and teachers are struggling to deal with staffing shortages caused by Covid-19, which is making it impossible for many schools to operate safely and satisfactorily, despite the endless demands of others.
“It is particularly disappointing to our hard-working members and colleagues, who also play vital non-educational roles in schools, that no further mitigation measures were taken before Christmas, as the situation we are in now was entirely foreseeable.”
The NITC has issued a list of mitigation actions and recommendations to the Department of Education that they believe will “somehow restore confidence in the education system”.
The mitigation and recommendations from the NITC include restoring close contact isolation for those with positive cases at home, management’s emphasis on employee coverage guidelines, and additional guidance on when schools should be able to close.
In addition, they are demanding that face masks be widely available in schools for all teachers and non-teachers, and that air purification systems be made available to all schools in NI.
Mr McCampfield continued: “This will certainly not completely eradicate the virus in our schools, but implementing mitigation measures and recommendations will certainly go a long way in relieving the stresses that our members are under.
“It is completely unacceptable, due to inaction and controversy by the Department of Education, that frontline workers have been exposed as they were and still are.
“Today, we in the union movement offer an alternative way for ED to move forward, which we believe serves not only our members, but the entire education system.
Source: Belfastlive
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