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Teaching unions have called for clarity on Covid-19 isolation measures, ahead of the reopening of schools in the coming days.
Michael Gillespie, general secretary of the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI), said that public health advice was needed about the duration of self-isolation for people infected with Covid-19, so teachers and students will know if they can return to school.
“We need to get an idea of the numbers in schools that will be missing,” he told Newstalk Breakfast on Tuesday.
“A lot of members couldn’t get PCR tests, but they did test positive with antigen tests, they had symptoms, but there’s a lack of clarity as to how many days they need to isolate – is it from their PCR test, is it from their antigen test – that will have a big effect on school reopenings – we need that sort of certainty,” he said.
Mr Gillespie said students in exam years and those in special education classes needed to be prioritised, to “make sure they’re able to return if there are staffing issues in schools,” he said.
The union official said it was too early to say if calls for a staggered return to classrooms would work. The situation was not “one size fits all” as schools would have different levels of attendance, he said.
Mr Gillespie said that the TUI had always advocated for disadvantaged students and they were very much aware of the impact of school closures on such students.
Minister for Education Norma Foley is to meet with unions and school management bodies on Tuesday, in advance of the planned reopening of schools on Thursday after the Christmas break.
On Monday night, the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) said it was “deeply concerned” schools may reopen without additional measures being put in place to protect students and staff. “This would constitute an unacceptable risk in the context of the Omicron wave,” the union said.
The ASTI said it will be proposing a staggered reopening in which it said face-to-face teaching with exam years should be prioritised.
It is also calling for HEPA filtration units to be rolled-out to schools, adding it “beggars belief that almost two years into this pandemic this basic facility is not in place where necessary”.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) has said it will be necessary to utilise more student teachers to provide substitute cover for classes in the coming weeks, as a result of staff members being out on Covid-related leave.
Concern from teaching unions over the reopening of schools comes amid a surge in cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, which has led to large numbers of people self-isolating, either with the virus or as close contacts.
The National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet) is to meet on Thursday to discuss the Covid-19 situation, with public health officials concerned over the pressure the latest wave is placing on the health service.