'The job is becoming unsustainable': Teacher, principal workloads ‘a crisis’

THE Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) annual congress in Derry has passed a motion on workload submitted by a Cork branch, particularly for principals.

Proposing the motion, Joanne Doherty, Cork City southwest branch, said, “The complexity of our schools is ever-changing, compounded by rapidly expanding regulatory compliance and relentless demands from the Department of Education.

“Principals find themselves inundated with responsibilities, from overseeing building projects and maintenance to hunting for substitutes, usually at anti-social hours, all while grappling with a lack of role clarity and hugely inadequate support.

“It’s no wonder that many principals are feeling despondent and burnt out. We cannot ignore the toll this takes on our school leaders.”

John Driscoll, Cork city teacher and former president of the INTO, told The Echo, “The position of principal was previously seen as something to aspire to, but people now are thinking twice. They are wondering if the extra pay balances out the additional responsibilities and stress, and many principals are looking for methods to step down.”

The motion, which was passed by the congress on Tuesday, found that the workload and expectations placed upon principal teachers are “unreasonably demanding”.

The motion asks that a structured step-down process for principals be introduced by the Department of Education for school leaders, “who simply cannot sustain the never-ending increase in workload”. They also directed the union’s central executive committee to negotiate with the department to provide a mechanism to allow principals to job share as teachers in other schools, “in order to allow them to recharge and replenish energy before returning to their roles as school leaders”.

Members also called for the thresholds for the appointment of administrative principals and deputy principals to be reduced, as there is a huge disparity between primary and post-primary sectors.

A national workload report by the INTO revealed that 90% of primary teachers are struggling with a workload that is ‘bursting at the seams’, and principals are working an additional 600 hours a year outside school time.

INTO general secretary John Boyle said at the conference, “With a never-ending increase in workload, we are being distracted from our core purpose of providing top-quality teaching and learning in primary and special schools.

“School leaders are telling us the job is becoming unsustainable.

“The Department of Education must do more than just talk about wellbeing, they must take urgent action to tackle this workload crisis, if they want to retain our hard-working school leaders.”