New Department regulations designed to increase the role of school principals in firing underperforming teachers "will not wash" according to Galway Senator Fidelma Healy Eames.

The Fine Gael Senator has hit out at the controversial move by the Department of Education, which will see principals playing a key part in assessing and identifying teachers who are not doing their job.

The new proposals are a radical departure from the existing system where teachers are assessed by Department of Education inspectors. The onus will now be on school principals to make the decision whether to pursue disciplinary action including dismissal.

"This bombshell will not wash with principals," said Senator Healy-Eames, adding "instead of encouraging and assisting teachers, Minister Mary Hanafin will damage the profession.

"She will drive them out of teaching and build an atmosphere of mistrust and division in our schools. I am shocked at how little understanding of the importance of teacher-principal collegiality that this proposal shows," she said.

The proposals are designed to address growing concerns about the difficulty in dealing with underperforming teachers. Inspection in second-level schools is infrequent compared to primary and vocational teachers who are routinely inspected.

Teacher and local Fianna F?il Councillor, John Connolly, has welcomed the move and said it "makes sense". Cllr Connolly is a teacher in Roscahill.

"Who knows more about the teaching staff than the principal?" said Cllr Connolly. "Personally I have no issue with the new proposals. The decision to discipline a teacher will be made between the principal and the board of management."

Under the proposals, the principal will notify the teacher of their intention to address the issue of 'sustained underperformance' and notify the school board of management.

The principal will write a report on the teacher for the board. If the board decides there is evidence of underperformance it will, with the advice of the principal, define an improvement plan for the teacher, which will be monitored by the principal.

Where there is no improvement, the board could proceed to 'withdrawal of increment, demotion, suspension, or dismissal'. The new procedures, which are now under discussion, are scheduled to be in place by the beginning of the next school year.

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