The Authorities has u-turned on plans to permit Leaving Cert college students return to high school subsequent week.
eaving Cert College students will now examine remotely together with all different pupils till January 31. The difficulty will then be reviewed.
Plans to reopen particular colleges subsequent week are additionally to be cancelled.
The transfer comes after the Affiliation of Secondary Lecturers in Eire instructed members to not attend lessons subsequent week.
The ASTI had instructed its members to not cooperate with authorities plans to reopen colleges for in-person instructing for Leaving Cert college students subsequent Monday,
The union says it would solely interact in distant instructing from subsequent Monday and has mentioned the choice relies on issues round well being and security.
This follows an emergency assembly of the ASTI immediately to debate plans to reopen colleges on Monday with Leaving cert college students anticipated to be in lessons for 3 days each week.
Talking after the assembly, ASTI President Ann Piggott mentioned: “The ASTI has repeatedly sought adequate assurances that colleges are protected for college kids and academics right now, within the context of the brand new variant of Covid-19 circulating in the neighborhood and the alarmingly excessive numbers.
“We engaged with the Division of Schooling and with public well being officers immediately. Sadly, the assurances we sought haven’t been forthcoming.”
Nonetheless, a Authorities supply mentioned the Division of Schooling is assured that colleges are a protected setting and must be allowed to reopen.
The plan to permit Leaving Cert college students attend faculty three days every week has been met with widespread opposition from academics, mother and father, pupils and particular wants assistants.
Secondary faculty principals are pleading with the Authorities to reverse its choice on the partial reopening of faculties as they’ve “grave issues” over the security of employees and college students.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan suggested the Authorities that the total reopening of faculties would “represent a really important extra danger” because the nation battles with an unprecedented stage of Covid-19 transmission in the neighborhood.
In a letter to Well being Minister Stephen Donnelly, dated January 5, Dr Holohan famous that knowledge acquired by the Nationwide Public Well being Emergency Workforce exhibits colleges are a “protected setting”.
Nonetheless, given the present epidemiological state of affairs, “important ranges of mobility and linked exercise” generated by the reopening of faculties would pose too dangerous, he mentioned.
A Authorities supply mentioned the Division of Schooling has acquired additional recommendation from Nphet that “colleges will now be safer by default” as a result of strict Degree 5 restrictions being imposed elsewhere.
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