It is becoming virtually impossible to get teachers to apply to be primary school principals because the pay and conditions are so poor, a conference has been told. Mr Seán Cottrell, director of the Irish Primary Principals Network, said schools could close because there were not enough teachers willing to be principals. The allowance for being a principal in the Republic was far too small, he said, and not enough of an incentive for younger ambitious teachers.
He said principals constantly had change forced on them by the Department of Education, often without notification or with little support. He said grants were often paid into school accounts without the principal knowing what to spend the money on.
Mr Cotter was was speaking at the annual primary principals conference in Galway. He said a survey by the organisation found that 70 per cent of teachers said the reason they would not go forward to be a principal was the poor pay and conditions. Principals were looking for a separate pay scale from teachers because their role was similar to that of a manager of a large commercial organisation. In relation to pay for teachers and principals, "one size does not fit all".
He said it was "laughable" that in 2002 there was no system for principals to recoup expenses incurred as part of their work at the school. He also said the INTO, which represents primary teachers, had a right to represent principals, but it also had a responsibility to argue their case as a specific group.
He told 500 delegates that principals were the ones who implemented change on the ground, but were often not represented on key education bodies such as the Teaching Council. The principals network had now become a strong lobby within the INTO.