The plan for the reopening of schools across the country next month is expected to cost more than €200m.
The Taoiseach Micheál Martin yesterday said all schools would be “open fully” by the end of August.
Officials are this weekend finalising the Government’s plan for a "robust and resilient" reopening and it is expected to be published after it is presented to Cabinet on Monday.
It is expected to include funding for extra substitute teachers, money for COVID-related infrastructure and enhanced cleaning regimes.
Teachers unions have already expressed concern about funding the plans.
ASTI President Deirdre Mac Donald and General Secretary Kieran Christie met with the Minister for Education Norma Foley TD yesterday as part of a stakeholder in education group. pic.twitter.com/mcCmGgtDtv
— ASTI (@astiunion) July 2, 2020
On Newstalk Breakfast with Eamon Torsney this morning, Kieran Christie, General Secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers (ASTI), said a large pool of substitutes will be needed.
“It stands to reason that the kind of practices that many teachers and many workers across society would have done in the past – going to work with head colds and so on – those practices will not be acceptable nor undertaken from now on for obvious reasons,” he said,
“That will lead to a necessity to manage absences and obviously additional substitutions will be required in those sorts of cases.”
He said the ASTI has provided officials with a shopping list of measures that must be taken before schools can reopen.
“Top of the list obviously is the necessity to put appropriate measures in place in every school to ensure the safety and health of teachers and students and entire school communities,” he said.
“Of course, that gives rise to other aspects, particularly in the hygiene area and the necessity to have abundant supplies of appropriate sanitiser and PPE and so on.
“We will also need measures that would support social distancing within schools.”
Health advice
Meanwhile, the ASTI President Deirdre McDonald told Newstalk teachers will only return if schools are following the same public health advice as other sectors.
She said she would expect all children aged 13 and over to be required to wear masks while in school, just like on public transport.
“There are many, many issues that need to be addressed but the bottom line is that we will only operate our schools in a way that is in line with NPHET advice,” she said.
“That is the bottom line. We won’t have any differentiation – ‘oh you can do this in schools but you can do something else outside.’”
"Not in the business of making threats"
Mr Christie said the ASTI is “not in the business of making threats” regarding its support for the plan, but insisted, “we want it done right.”
“What we have said is that in no instance would we be willing to compromise the health and safety of students and teachers,” he said.
“We have played a constructive role in this process and will continue to do so.”
He said teachers want to see schools, “reopened and functioning to the maximum possible extent when the time comes.”
