A number of variable factors impinge on the relationship between the supply and demand of primary teachers.
The supply of available teachers is influenced by factors such as the participation rate of teachers on career breaks and job-sharing schemes, the number of teachers opting for retirement before reaching age 65 and the overall absentee rate within schools due to sickness and maternity. The number of pupils, which determines the level of demand for teachers, is affected by factors such as birth rate fluctuations, emigration and immigration and the age at which parents decide to send their children to school.
The retention of the entire demographic dividend within primary schools under a policy initiated by my predecessor, Deputy O'Rourke, has also had a significant positive impact on the availability of trained teachers.
My recent decision to grant recognition to primary teachers who trained outside this State to teach in special schools, and to teach special classes in mainstream schools without the requirement for the Irish language qualification, will provide a new source of trained primary teachers.
The supply panel scheme is an important mechanism to enable boards of management to obtain the services of qualified teachers to cover mainly short-term absences on certified sick leave. In January of this year, this scheme was extended by the addition of a further 30 teachers employed in 11 schools throughout the country.
The overall supply of teachers will be examined very carefully in the context of determining the intake to the colleges of education for the 1998-99 school year.
