Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 April 2024
330. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education what measures she and her Department have taken to increase diversity within the teaching profession; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19260/24]
View answerEnsuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government.
An increase in migration in recent decades has seen a more diverse society living in Ireland and attending our schools. It is important our teaching profession reflects the changes in diversity of the student population in schools. A number of initiatives and programmes are in place to address the level of diversity in the teaching profession.
The Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) supports access to initial teacher education from the target groups identified in the National Access Plan (NAP). The objectives of PATH 1 include increasing the number of students from under-represented groups entering Initial Teacher Education and to provide for more role models for students from these groups.
The current NAP is the fourth such plan and it runs from 2022 to 2028 and it builds on the vision of previous plans and ambitions for a more inclusive and diverse population in higher education.
In addition, my department has co-funded the Migrant Teacher Project for the provision of information, advice, training and support to migrant teachers who have qualified outside of Ireland, to help them to continue their profession in Ireland.
Budget 2024 reflects this Government’s commitment to ongoing investment including the creation of opportunities in the education system through various measures:
Introduction of a professional master’s of education incentive scheme for newly qualified teachers graduating in 2024. Eligible teachers can receive an incentive payment of up to €2,000, to be paid in 2025.
Expansion of upskilling programs, free to teachers, aimed at increasing the number of qualified teachers in high-demand subjects and reducing out-of-field teaching. New programs in Irish, French, politics & society, and computer science will complement existing programs in maths, physics, and Spanish. Trinity College Dublin will deliver a new Irish upskilling program for post-primary teachers starting in late 2024, available at no cost to eligible teachers.
Provision of an additional 1,000 posts of responsibility in the school system for the 2024/25 school year, recognising the vital role of school leaders in enhancing educational outcomes by fostering a positive school environment and empowering educators and learners within their communities.
In addition to these recently introduced measures, as Minister I have developed further initiatives to address teacher supply challenges, including:
• Approving 610 additional places on initial teacher education programs for primary level over the academic years 2023/24 and 2024/25.
• Ensuring flexibility in initial teacher education programs to allow student teachers to support schools, with over 2,700 registered under Route 5 with the Teaching Council in 2023, providing valuable substitute teaching support. Currently there are 3,600 registered under Route 5, the highest number ever.
• Continuation of primary substitute teacher supply panels in 2023/24, covering nearly 2,900 schools and providing substitute cover for short-term teacher absences.
• Encouraging retired teachers to provide substitute cover, resulting in a significant increase of 49% in teaching days provided between the 2021/22 and 2022/23 school years.
• Reduction of restrictions on job-sharing teachers and those on career breaks from working as substitutes.
• Enabling post-primary teachers to provide up to 35 additional hours of substitute cover per term in their qualified subject.
Teaching remains an attractive career choice. CAO first preference choices for post-primary teaching increased in 2023 by 14%, in addition to a 9% increase in 2022. CAO preferences for primary teaching showed increases at the closing date in February 2024 with overall mentions up 10% and first preferences increasing by 2% from 2023.
In 2024, there were 4,271 first preference applications for undergraduate teaching programmes, showing a trend largely consistent with recent years. Analysis of CAO applications spanning from 2017 to 2024 indicates a sustained and robust demand for undergraduate teaching programmes. On average, 6% of first preference applications during the period from 2017 to 2024 were for either primary or post-primary teaching programmes. Specifically, the percentage of first preference applications for undergraduate primary teaching programmes ranged between 2.9% and 3.8%, while those for post-primary undergraduate programmes ranged between 2.4% and 2.9%.
The ratio of first preference applications through the CAO for level 8 courses in 2022 shows that there were 1.5 applicants per place for education, with a higher demand for primary courses (2) than for post-primary places (1.5). The demand for primary ITE is higher than for all fields except for medicine (3.5) and veterinary medicine (5.2)
Currently starting pay for Primary teachers is over €41,000 and over €42,000 for post-primary teachers. The new pay deal, with all three teacher unions having recently voted in favour of, will mean that teachers’ starting salary will increase to €46,000 rising to a maximum of €85,000 per year which compares well internationally. Starting pay of €46,000 will be almost €20,000 higher than the 2011 rates.
Over 3,700 newly qualified teachers have registered with the Teaching Council in 2023, with over 122,000 now on the Teaching Council register.
The vast majority of sanctioned teacher positions are filled. The rate of resignation and retirement is very low by any standard and is consistent with previous years.
Ireland’s education system is performing strongly, something that is supported by recent international testing. That is a tribute to the professionalism and dedication of our teachers. We need to continue to support our schools and maintain the high standards that have helped get us to where we are.
My Department continues to engage closely with education stakeholders to develop further, innovative measures to address teacher supply issues.
