Valuable school staff treated as second-class employees – Cllr Doherty

Staff who play a critical role in the running of local schools are employed under an unfair system, according to Donegal Councillor Gary Doherty.

The Councillor said that ancillary staff, such as secretaries and caretakers, are experiencing precarious employment conditions as they are forced to sign on the dole during the summer.

Cllr Doherty has this week called on the council to contact the Minister for Education to address discrepancies in the rates of pay and benefits paid to ancillary staff. The council also agreed to call on the Minister to increase the capitation grant – a grant paid according to pupil numbers at primary and voluntary secondary schools.

Cllr Doherty highlighted the plight of secretaries and caretakers who are employed by schools using money from the Ancillary Services Capitation Grant.

He said: “Many of these staff members will have given 20-25 years of service but have no pension entitlement or sick leave. These are valuable staff in our schools who are effectively treated as second-class employees.

“During the holidays many of these staff members are signing on for the summer months. That is not a fair and equitable system in my view.”

Cllr Albert Doherty added that the current capitation system is underfunded, with primary school pupils receiving the equivalent of 98c per day. Cllr Doherty said that if ‘a measly €12million’ was set aside to restore funding, it could benefit each pupil by an extra €20.