Secondary teachers may be paid £12 an hour for supervising pupils during break times, under proposals which have been tabled by the Department of Education.
If the proposals are accepted teachers would also be paid for covering as substitutes in the classroom, at an hourly rate of £20. This allowance would be paid when teachers take a class where the original teacher is absent because of "uncertified sick leave or other approved absences".
The Department is also proposing that school managers should be free to hire non-teachers - such as parents - for supervision if teachers refuse to co-operate with the new system.
The proposals have emerged during talks between teacher unions and the Department over a new supervision system.
The talks were set up after the Labour Court issued a recommendation during the ASTI dispute saying it was an area worth examining. ASTI is not participating in the talks.
The offer of £12 an hour for supervision is considerably short of the minimum £20 an hour demanded by teacher unions such as the INTO and the TUI. Teachers will also be disappointed that the offer tabled by the Department is not pensionable.
The Department's offer is seen by all sides as an "opening bid". Further talks on the issue are due later this week.
The Department's document says supervision at primary level is "a condition of service of all primary teachers, including principals". It says "no definite proposals" have emerged to address this. On substitution, it says primary schools will also be allowed to pay teachers a rate of £20 for substitution.
The Department, in a 10-page discussion document, says that the amount of supervision cover provided by teachers should be worked out at local level between school management and staff.
The Department says it will pay for 232 hours of supervision cover a year for every 10 teachers on the payroll.
Until now, supervision and substitution cover has been provided by secondary teachers on a voluntary basis.
Most schools had to close for five days this year when ASTI members withdrew from supervision and substitution cover.
ASTI has refused to take part in the current discussions on supervision until its pay dispute with the Government is resolved.
The talks now under way involve the Department, the TUI, the INTO and school management bodies.
The ASTI has not ruled out considering the outcome of the supervision/substitution talks, but the union says it wants to concentrate on advancing its 30 per cent claim.
The Department's document recognises the difficulties schools often have in getting teachers to cover for absent colleagues, particularly at short notice. Currently, schools use temporary teachers as substitutes, but the new proposals would allow them to draft in permanent teachers as well.