The primary sector has experienced a shortage of trained teachers in recent years, mainly as a result of the large number of posts created to reduce class sizes, cater for pupils in disadvantaged areas and provide for those with special educational needs. The difficulties being experienced were aggravated by the number of teachers availing of career breaks and job sharing schemes. It is important to acknowledge that the colleges of education have done much to increase the output of primary teachers to meet the needs of schools arising from significant additional teacher allocations in recent years. Since 1999, over 1,000 students have been admitted annually to the bachelor of education programmes in the colleges of education.
Since the 1995-96 academic year, an 18-month postgraduate course has been provided in the colleges of education. The total intake to the colleges of education in the current academic year is approximately 1,280 students. This compares with an intake of 500 in 1996-97. There are currently approximately 3,500 students enrolled and pursuing various stages of primary teacher training programmes in the colleges of education. In addition, graduates of the new primary teacher training course which is being accredited by HETAC and delivered by Hibernia College, an on-line third level educational company, is recognised for the purposes of primary teaching.
In addition to increasing the output of graduates, other initiatives have been introduced to increase the number of trained personnel. Bachelor of education graduates of St. Mary's College, Belfast, who have studied Irish to honours level as an academic subject as part of their teaching qualifications are now recognised as fully qualified. Montessori trained teachers who have successfully completed the full-time course of three years duration at St. Nicholas, Dún Laoghaire, which is recognised by HETAC, or the Montessori qualification which is awarded on completion of the three year full-time course in the AMI College, are recognised as being fully qualified substitute teachers. They are permitted to teach in certain categories of special schools, special classes and as resource teachers in primary schools. The decision to recognise fully qualified teachers who trained outside the State to teach in certain categories of schools and classes without the need to hold an Irish language qualification is also contributing to an improvement in the supply of trained primary teachers.