Schools expect “huge absenteeism” rates this week due to fears among parents over the now-dominant Omicron variant of Covid-19.
The Irish Times reports that school principals in some cases are anticipating attendance to be down 25 per cent or more, amid rising case numbers and the approaching Christmas holidays.
Primary and secondary schools are due to close on Wednesday, December 22nd, and reopen on January 6th, after some calls for an early closure were rejected by the Department of Education.
Séamus Mulconry, general secretary of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association, which supports more than 2,800 primary schools, said they are expecting attendance to drop.
“Families are making decisions based on the fact that, in some cases, they are meeting with vulnerable family members over Christmas and want to minimise the risk, which is very understandable,” he said.
Books sent home
Matt Melvin, principal of St Etchen’s National School in Kinnegad, Co Westmeath, said it had organised many of its Christmas events for last week in the knowledge that many will not attend this week.
Many schools have decided to send pupils’ books home with them for the Christmas period, in case schools do not open on schedule.
Others have been re-familiarising themselves with remote teaching platforms and upskilling new teaching staff.
However, Mr Mulconry said senior Department of Education officials have been “adamant” over recent days that schools will reopen as planned on January 6th next.
“If that is the case, schools will need support to be ramped up. That means a resumption of contact tracing and greater assistance for principals, because they will be reopening in a more challenging environment,” he said.
Leaving Cert exams
Meanwhile, Leaving Cert oral exams for up to 60,000 students look set to be moved from term time to the first week of the Easter holidays to ease what schools describe as a “crisis” in teacher supply due to Covid-19.
The Irish Times reports that plans are being finalised to hold oral exams in Irish and modern languages, along with practical performance tests in music, during a seven- or eight-day window extending from Thursday, April 7th, to Friday, April 15th.
This could see exams taking place at weekends and over the first week of the Easter holidays.
The proposal has been explored with school managers and teachers’ unions and a final plan is due to be discussed at a meeting of education partners on Monday. If signed off, an announcement is due shortly.
