Headteachers have called for better control over when teachers are allowed to take additional personal leave after claiming that schools are being left short-staffed.

One principal, who did not wish to be named, said the Ministry of Education had compounded the problems by agreeing personal days off for teachers which had originally been denied by principals.

The head teacher said she was in favour of teachers being given the additional personal days off - known as BUT days - but said there had to be some control over when teachers were allowed to take them.

She said she supported the comments made by Government backbencher Dale Butler in the House of Assembly on Friday when he raised questions over the personal leave, and said poor staffing was having a negative affect on learning.

Mr. Butler told Parliament that the personal leave days, which were given to teachers earlier this year as part of their union agreement and are dependent upon their length of service, had left one school without 11 teachers in a single day.

The principal who spoke out said: "We have been experiencing some difficulties with staffing, which has been made worse by the BUT days.

"A number of teachers have been working in the system for more than 20 years so are entitled to an additional four days off a year.

"I certainly don't have a problem with teachers taking those days, and I agree with them, but they have to be taken when it does not disrupt learning. It is detracting from education.

"I know the Bermuda Union of Teachers has said principals should only allow a certain number of teachers to be off at once, but even if we deny the request, the forms get sent to the Ministry and our decision is overruled. That is worsening the problem."

Chairman of the Association of School Principals Livingston Tuzo, who is also headteacher of West End Primary, said he had heard a number of concerns from principals and believed them to be legitimate.

However, he said with early planning and consideration from staff, he had had no problems at his school since the union agreement was introduced in February this year.

He said he expected the system to work much more smoothly next year, when teachers would have a whole year to take their days, as opposed to just four months this year.

Mr. Tuzo said: "After the personal days were put into the agreement in February, I got a huge calendar drawn up and put it on the wall so that teachers could work their personal days out among themselves.

"But I know that it has happened where principals have said `no' to some teachers and then the Ministry has overruled the decision. All things being equal, that should not happen. The principals' decision should be final."

However, last night, Chief Education Officer Dr. Joseph Christopher denied that the Ministry had overruled any decision.

He said: "I am not aware of any occasion on which the Ministry has overturned a principal's recommendation to turn down a teacher's request for a day's leave on the grounds that there would be too many teachers absent that day.

"In fact, we are considering transferring this responsibility entirely to the principals so that they would no longer be required to refer to the Ministry at all when deciding how to handle teachers' requests for leave."

Another principal, who did not wish to be named, said she had never had one of her decisions on personal days overruled by the Ministry because she had never denied anybody.

She said: "How can I deny a request when it is written in their union agreements that they can have these extra days?

"I do agree that the teachers deserve these days, but there needs to be additional policies in place as to when they can be taken. I don't think teachers should be allowed to take all of their days together. These are not meant for an additional vacation."

Shadow Education Minister Tim Smith last night said he believed leave of any sort should be the sole responsibility of the principals.

He said: "Like any organisational head, he or she should be able to say when the days may be taken. Basic parameters should also be shared in advance, such as a basic minimum amount of notice - one day per term, or no more than one day at a time, for example."