Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Concern over a ‘full return’ to classroom
NORTHERN Ireland’s largest teaching union fears the Education Minister is aiming for a full return to schools in September.
Peter Weir is expected to present his latest paper on the issue to the Executive today.
And NASUWT believes he is hoping to rewrite his June 19 guidance “to allow a full return” to classrooms in the coming weeks.
The union’s Justin Mccamphill said: “Schools have the information. There is guidance and you could argue it is not clear enough and it needs work done.
“Rather than developing that guidance, they have just abandoned it with a view to actually scrapping it and having a full return.
“They are ignoring their guidance and Peter Weir is going to go before the Executive and say, ‘Let’s rewrite the guidance to allow a full return’.
“They mightn’t scrap it but if you amend a few lines it will totally change the whole emphasis of it.
“Our view is to do that would be premature. “They haven’t given an opportunity for schools to implement the guidance drawn up at the end of June.
“Schools have spent a lot of time making plans, schools were awaiting further clarification around issues like practical subjects, resources, financial resources and transport.
“We want schools to reopen, but we want to keep them open, so they should have been given an opportunity to implement the guidance that had previously been issued and see how that goes.”
West Tyrone Sinn Fein MLA Catherine Kelly said some families are concerned about the lack of information they have received.
She added: “Pupils, parents and staff deserve much better. On a daily basis, parents are contacting constituency offices and schools seeking information on the return of schools.”
The Department for
Education was contacted for comment.