Sir, – I welcome the increasing attention devoted in your columns over recent years to one of the central weaknesses in the Irish education system, namely the huge workload facing Irish school principals.
Aside from the damaging impact on the individuals involved, this problem has serious implications for those children and young people who attend our schools.
In particular, it means that principals, by their own accounts, cannot devote sufficient attention to the central function of our schooling provision which are teaching and learning.
Breda O’Brien, in her recent article on the topic (“School principals are burned out, depressed and overworked. Something needs to change”, Opinion, December 9th), seems to think the Department of Education may shortly take steps to resolve the matter.
I’m afraid I am somewhat more sceptical, mainly because the department itself is the source of most of the increased bureaucracy that has been imposed on schools.
For 20 years now a school inspection model encompassing an audit-type approach has been in place. Of its nature, an audit demands evidence, invariably in paper form.
As Michael Power described it in his book, The Audit Society – Rituals of Verification, it is about the “quality of your records, not the quality of your deeds”.
We live in an age where information, as distinct from knowledge, is more and more available.
I expect that the bureaucratic demands on schools will continue to escalate and whatever steps the department takes will never be sufficient to resolve the problem. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN FLEMING,
Palmerstown,
Dublin 20.