Ahead on vaccines, behind in exit plans
■ Businesses frustrated at the pace of change ■ Teachers angered by revised opening dates
RETAILERS have accused Stormont of leaving them behind after a series of cautious relaxations to Covid regulations were announced.
Despite the success of the vaccine roll-out, there was disappointment at the lack of opening dates for non-essential shops, hospitality or close contact services. Other parts of the UK have been given dates for different sectors to reopen.
Hospitality Ulster chief Colin
Neill said there were growing concerns over “a historical bias against premises selling alcohol”.
And Retail NI’S Glyn Roberts asked: “Why is it the Scottish Government can give dates for these vital sectors to reopen, yet our Executive cannot?”
Meanwhile, teaching unions have hit out at the lack of time given to prepare after it was announced all primary pupils would return to school on Monday, along with those in post-primary years 12 to 14.
A TEACHING union has launched a blistering attack on the Education Minister after yesterday’s decision by the Executive to allow all primary school pupils to return to the classroom from next Monday.
The Executive agreed to proposals from Peter Weir for P4 to P7 to return to school from March 22, along with those in post-primary years 12 to 14. All other year groups will return to face-to-face teaching after the Easter holidays on April 12.
But Gerry Murphy, northern secretary of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, said Mr Weir had “trashed the last vestiges of his reputation with the teaching profession”.
“It is these hard-working teachers who deliver the thing that matters: the advancement of our children’s education. They continue to do so in the midst of a pandemic and in the face of ineffectual and weak leadership,” Mr Murphy said.
“Our primary schools will have only two working days’ notice, not the 10 they were promised.
“This is yet another failure in leadership on the part of the Department of Education and its minister.
“It is too late to salvage Peter Weir’s reputation as Minister of Education, but there is still time, with proper leadership and the goodwill of the teaching profession, to meet the emotional and educational needs of our children and young people. Both they and their teachers deserve better.”
Mr Weir welcomed the support of the Executive for his proposals, saying “today is a food day for schools, pupils and parents”.
“My main objective has always been the full return of all pupils to school in line with public health advice. Education has rightly been prioritised by the Executive,” he added.
“The focus now must be on educational recovery, which will be critical to their future prospects.
“With Executive support, I intend to invest in the necessary resources to help pupils address any disruption to their learning.”
Diane Dawson, the principal at Braniel Primary School, said that while she would welcome back all her pupils with open arms next Monday, there were still questions as to why schools had been treated “abysmally” by the Executive.
“At Braniel, we have our recovery curriculum ready to go, but I don’t know if every school will be so lucky,” she said.
“Even things like making sure that we have enough school meals to cater for 480 pupils come Monday morning now have to be arranged.
“Staff here have been doing double the work these past few weeks, preparing for all eventualities. Some head teachers have already sent out home-school packs to pupils which will now not be needed.
“We have read between the lines and we are ready to welcome pupils back, but it was time and money to get us into this position. Other schools might not have been in such a position for another last-minute decision.”
Principals are now facing what the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) called a “dangerous” workload.
“All frontline education workers are desperate to see children and young people back at school,” said NAHT president Dr Graham Gault.
“However, two significant concerns remain. Firstly, the last-minute and often chaotic nature of announcements through the social and mainstream media is both disrespectful and unhelpful to our principals.
“Secondly, in order for our children to return to school sustainably, we know that wider societal restrictions will have to be implemented. What are these going to be? What measures are the Executive going to take to ensure that community transmission remains low?”
NASUWT National Official Justin Mccamphill said that while the decision was not “entirely surprising,” his union still wanted to see the health data that informed another last-minute plan of action.
“It is now incumbent on the Executive to publish the scientific evidence which justifies this last-minute change in direction,” he said.
Jacquie White, general secretary of the Ulster Teachers’ Union, said that teachers remained to be convinced that the roadmap back to school for pupils was sustainably safe.
“The last thing anyone wants is to move too far too quickly when we seem to be making such hard-won advances,” she said.
“This is quite a leap and not one that we are assured is in the best interests of pupils, teachers, parents and the wider community.
“A return to school also means a return of all the travel challenges that go with it, both of parents collecting children and of children using school and public transport.
“Our worry is that any recklessness now in getting children back behind desks could trigger another spike in Covid infections and prolong disruption of their education.
“It would seem counter-intuitive to throw away the progress we seem to be making and risk schools closing again.
“This would be the worst possible scenario for everyone.”
‘We want to see kids back, but concerns remain’