Reform initiatives from the Department of Education are serving to undermine the quality of primary education in Ireland, it has been claimed.

Addressing delegates at the Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN), director of the IPPN Sean Cottrell suggested principals are being overwhelmed by schemes that are ad hoc and revolutionary, the Irish Times reports.

Mr Cottrell - who recently suggested greater use of technology in Irish primary schools would benefit teaching methods - claimed the primary school system is suffering from "death by initiative", with the recommendations pointing to a lack of overall vision for education in Ireland.

It was observed that the expectations of the Department of Education are not in line with management capacity in Irish schools.

Mr Cottrell explained this imbalance could be addressed by the department taking action to "prioritise funding for skilled administrators, provide a minimum of one non-contact day per week for the leadership and management role of teaching principals and reinstate in-school management posts".

Written by Donal Walsh

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