Minister for Education Norma Foley has said claims by a teachers union that it did not instruct its members to stay out of schools are incredibly disingenuous.
Ms Foley made the statement after John Boyle, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), said his union most certainly didnt instruct its members not to go back schools on Thursday.
Talks between the Department of Education and unions over the resumption of classes for children with special education needs collapsed on Tuesday night.
Staff representatives cited concerns about the safety of such a move amid high levels of Covid-19 transmission in the community
The department had been seeking an accommodation that would allow for the return to class of 18,000 pupils, out of a school population of 1.1 million. Most of those classes had just six students, the Minister said.
Ms Foley told RTÉs Morning Ireland it was a matter of deep regret that the unions representing teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) had not accepted public health advice that it would be safe to reopen schools for children with special needs.
Everything we did was underpinned by public health advice, she said. Its a matter of deep regret that the unions did not accept public health advice.
Ms Foley said she understood there was great anxiety in the sector, but other essential workers such as healthcare workers, ambulance personnel, gardaí and supermarket staff were going to work every day. There was nothing more essential than providing education, she said.
The Minister said she and her department would continue to work with the unions, but that there needed to be good faith.
Earlier on the same programme, INTO general secretary John Boyle denied that the union had instructed teachers not to return to work on Thursday.
Absolutely, we most certainly did not, he said.
Ms Foley described Mr Boyles comment as incredibly disingenuous.
When asked why she did not instruct teachers to return to work, she said the public health advice was categorical, unequivocal and that unions had undertaken to support a return to school if this was the view of health authorities.
She said she thought they were working towards a shared objective to open the schools on Thursday and had accepted the unions bona fides, but at the 11th hour they said they cannot accept public health advice.
There had been no guarantees from the unions that staff would turn up for work on Thursday, she said.
Mr Boyle said a blame game between teachers and special needs assistants and education officials would not find a solution to the problems that are keeping the States schools closed.
The INTO and Fórsa, which represents special needs assistants, said efforts to reassure staff that it was safe for schools to open to students had failed.
Further discussions can achieve improved safety measures, including Covid testing, leading to the resumption of all school services, they said.
Mr Boyle said he believed the number of new cases would need to fall before schools could reopen. A total of 2,001 more cases and 93 deaths were reported by health officials on Tuesday.
Weve asked for a rethink, we are all extremely nervous, he said.
He said that if the number of cases continued to drop then it was possible that schools could reopen on February 1st.
Teachers cant wait to go back to school.
Head of education at Fórsa, Andy Pike, said his members did not have confidence in the approach set out by Government in proposing Thursday as a reopening date.
There is genuine fear and anxiety out there, he told Newstalk.
Four advocacy groups AsIAm, Down Syndrome Ireland, Family Carers Ireland and Inclusion Ireland called for urgent interim measures for children who cannot engage in remote learning, such as in-home supports from a teacher or special needs assistant.