Move to end shorter days for junior primary classes paused after 'push back'
The Irish Department of Education has paused plans to end shorter school days for junior infant classes following pushback. Internal documents reveal that while officials sought to standardize the school year, the potential costs of subsidizing childcare for the extra hour were a significant factor.
Why it matters
The decision highlights the intersection of educational policy and the broader economic burden of childcare costs on the state.
"Significant numbers of children now attend preschools/ECCE and that the transition to primary is not as significant as in the past," a Department of Education email stated. File Picture
Plans from the Department of Education to end shorter days for junior primary classes have been paused after "push back", internal documents reveal.
Senior officials in the Department of Education contacted colleagues in the Department of Children asking for any financial "stats or costings" that would bolster the argument in favour of "restricting" the reduced day for junior infant classes at the start of the school year.
Responding, an assistant secretary general in the Department of Children said the cost savings from reducing or ending the practice of two shorter weeks when junior infants start school would be "limited".
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