Teachers want incentives for in-service courses

November 1991

PRIMARY school teachers in Kerry are not being given incentives to study for in-service training due to a lack of funding from the Department of Education, Kerry INTO Media Co-Ordinator Julie O’Connor claimed this week.

She told The Kerryman that six primary school teachers in Kerry completed an in-service degree course in Dublin, at a personal cost of £3,000 over a two year period. This was done, she said, without any funding from the Department of Education.

“The teachers spent a lot of time in St Patrick’s Training College in Dublin during a two year period. Every weekend and bank holiday weekend was taken up with lectures as well as school holidays during the summer and at Christmas,” she said.

Six Kerry primary teachers were conferred with the degrees of Bachelors of Education on October 18; They are Michael O’Connor, Tralee, Francis Quill, Tralee, Bertie O’Connor, Killarney, Noreen Coffey, Ballycasheen; Tim Horgan, Ballycasheen and Marie O’SulIivan, Killarney.

Degree recipient Francis Quill said the teachers had to pay for their own fees, accommodation, travel and meals for the course in Dublin.

“The fees each year cost £750 and this together with accommodation and travel costs amount to over £3,000 for the two years. The Department of Education want all teachers to do these in-service training courses yet they are providing no incentives for the teachers to do so,” he said.

Mrs O’Connor said that though the Department of Education gives the teachers five days off to sit exams, they do not provide for substitute teachers to fill in for those doing exams.

“If there are two teachers from a school doing the course and sitting exams, that leaves two classes in the school without a teacher for the five days. This results in the class being split and it causes a great deal of inconvenience for the teachers who have to deal with the extra students in the class,” she said.

Degree recipient Michael O’Connor feels that the Department of Education should be paying the fees for the course.

“If you work in the civil service and you do a degree, the civil service pays for your fees. It is the same in the bank,” he said.

He said that though the course was an excellent idea there is no incentive for the teachers to do the course.

“For doing a course like this, we get no tax allowance. The only allowance we get at the end of the course is an extra increment on our salaries, “he said.

Mrs O’Connor said that the INTO will be pushing for the Department to provide substitute teachers to fill in for those doing in-service exams at their next conference.

Castleisland students of St Joseph’s Secondary School with students from Cologne, Germany, who are exchanging places for two weeks. In group are Sr. Mary, principal with Patrick Mitchell, chairman of the Castleisland Development.