Student teachers are ‘putting on the green jersey’ by stepping in as substitutes in primary schools this winter, according to the INTO.

Around 4,000 teaching students will be made available as substitutes as early as next week under the plan.

Retired teachers and additional substitute teacher panel posts will also be offered to schools, according to a note sent by the Department last night.

A survey published by the Irish National Teachers Organisation published earlier this week found that 3.6% of primary school teachers tested positive for COVID in the first two weeks of this month.

Around 1.6% of pupils also picked up the virus according to the study.

O the 11,778 substitutable days reported in the two-week period of the survey – nearly one-third were not covered.

The union told Newstalk that 10,500 pupils and up to 1,500 primary teachers are currently absent due to the virus.

INTO General Secretary John Boyle praised student teachers for signing up for the challenge.

“It will certainly be a great experience for them to be working in schools,” he said. “A tough experience let it be said at the moment with so much infection but it is welcome.

“I don’t anticipate that the students will be negatively affected by pulling on the green jersey. In fact, I think it will add to their college experience and it will serve them well in years to come.”

The Department of Education is due to meet with teachers' unions today to discuss the plans.

The initiative applies to those in third or fourth year, as well as those undertaking postgraduate teaching courses.

A department spokesperson said teacher training colleges have agreed to “explore flexible options” including rescheduling assessments to allow students to substitute.

They said education stakeholders would work together to ensure students could support schools in the run-up to Christmas and after the holidays.

The INTO said the new measures were welcome but contact tracing and close contact rules must be reinstated in all schools.

“We actually heard yesterday morning, that 10,503 primary schoolchildren have COVID-19 confirmed and we figure from our survey that we have up to 1,500 primary teachers testing positive as well.

“So, we need the two departments to step in urgently. Education have certainly done their bit now, but we certainly need public health to play their part, making schools safer by reinstating risk assessments from contact tracing.”

Contact tracing was paused in schools and childcare facilities in late September – with thousands of pupils absent from school even though they did not have any symptoms.

The changes also meant that children under 12 who were designated close contacts no longer needed to restrict their movements.

The Irish National Teacher’s Organisation (INTO) has warned that the changes force school principals to make their own public health decisions – and consistently called for contact tracing to resume.