Dear editor, Carl O’Brien recently brought to light the dire situation in our primary schools where a significant number of pupils are left under the tutelage of unqualified teachers due to the ongoing staffing crisis (“News, October 21st). Additionally, he highlighted the pressing teacher shortage in secondary schools (“Education, October 21st”).
The recent education budget disappointingly failed to recognise and address this retention and recruitment issue in education. Furthermore, the release of 768 teachers for special education training, as stated in the budget, will likely worsen the situation.
While some proposals in the budget, like broadening the free books scheme, are commendable, the continuous demands of curricular amendments and Department of Education regulations add unwanted administrative stress on the already burdened schools and their leadership.
The budget’s most glaring omission came when the education minister disregarded the pressing requirement for increased support for schools’ leadership. There was no provision for lessening administrative responsibilities, no additional funds for deputy principals, or no steps to address the growing pressure on school leaders attempting to manage underfunded systems.
A study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) earlier this year pointed out the immense demands imposed on school leaders in diverse areas such as administrative, financial, human resources, industrial relations, infrastructural, and emphasised the need for augmented administrative and leadership tools.
This year’s joint pre-budget submission by the three secondary school management bodies clearly established the need for strengthening school leadership capacity. The proposal for the allocation of deputy principals is a pivotal measure in accomplishing this.
The Minister seems to overlook the escalating problems facing school leadership, offering no additional backing despite a forthcoming crisis in the current school administration model’s sustainability. Numerous credible reports illustrating these issues are amassing on the Minister’s desk, notably the recent longitudinal study, “Irish Post-Primary School Leaders’ Health and Wellbeing: A Three-Year National Study.”
The study offered an alarming revelation of the challenges faced by head and deputy head teachers, as it was based on data from over 600 school leaders from 2022 to 2024. The report highlighted the substantial office violence, including bullying and threats experienced by principals and deputies.
Female school leaders especially have seen a surge in incidents of physical and cyber bullying in the last three years. The report revealed 38% of female participants faced bullying, 17% experienced cyber bullying and 18% were under violent threats, with 15% experiencing physical violence which is a rate twice that faced by male counterparts. These figures are unnerving and the absence of feedback from various sections is deplorable, to say the least.
Almost half of the school leaders experienced elevated to severe instances of burnout, reporting stress levels exceeding those of the general workforce. The Minister is aware of these dreadful findings from this and other studies but remains non-confrontational.
Bizarrely, the Minister and her department seem to avoid acknowledging the problem.
Questions have arisen as to her expectations to drive fundamental initiatives such as senior cycle reforms successfully without a robust, sustainable, and well-supported school leadership. School leaders are instrumental in enforcing changes and obligatory reforms at school and system levels.
Currently, multiple school leaders feel deserted, with barely any effective representation. Management bodies confirm that they aim to support and speak for their schools, particularly aiding the school boards in performing their duties. Furthermore, there is turmoil among the teacher unions, with many head and deputy headteachers feeling that these establishments fail to represent their interests.
Is it fair to fault them? Considering the bizarre context where educators and administrative staff belong to the same union, isn’t it reasonable to expect clashes of interests? Perhaps there is a growing need for assertive representation of Headteachers and Vice-principals in Union’s Standing Committees.
The National Association of Head and Deputy Headteachers (NAHDH), despite their considerable contributions, is substantially sponsored by the Department of Education, and therefore can’t afford to be overcritical. Consequently, they are often obliged to be content with insignificant concessions made to them.
Leading a school is a vital aspect of the overall investment plan for our educational institutions, yet this consideration has been overlooked for quite a while. The recent budget proved to be a significantly unexploited chance to address this issue. A crisis is imminent.
The moment has come for multiple agencies to rise to the occasion. Best Regards,
JOHN McHUGH,
Headteacher,
Ardscoil Rís,
Dublin 9.