The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).
In accordance with Department Circulars 0044/2019 and 31/2011, schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers and ensure that unemployed teachers should be offered employment in preference to those who have retired.
A number of measures have been put in place to increase the supply of teachers at post-primary level, particularly in subjects where difficulties in recruitment have been reported.
The Higher Education Authority (HEA), on behalf of my Department, issued a call to initial teacher education (ITE) providers for proposals for programmes to upskill registered teachers in targeted post-primary subjects (Spanish, mathematics and physics). The programmes, which commenced in January 2021, run over two years on a part-time, flexible basis. There is no fee charge for participating teachers.
Applications to the programmes for the January 2021 intake significantly exceeded the number of places available, approximately 170 across the three programmes. Given that these subjects are still challenging in terms of filling teaching vacancies, my Department is funding approximately 135 additional places on the programmes for the second intake of students, commencing this January. It is anticipated that approximately 60 teachers will commence the physics upskilling programme.
A number of measures have been taken by education partners which are aimed at matching teachers with teaching vacancies. Turasabhaile, a service developed by the post-primary school management bodies and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, matches registered teachers, resident abroad with post-primary vacancies in schools in Ireland.
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network is also developing a new central portal for the recruitment of teachers to long-term positions in both primary and post-primary schools. It is anticipated that this portal will be available to schools and teachers in the coming months.
The various measures to support teacher supply are underpinned by the Teaching Transforms campaign, which promotes the teaching profession and encourages students to follow a career in teaching. The campaign uses digital, radio and video media, and is supported by a dedicated webpage, www.gov.ie/teachingtransforms.
In response to the ongoing degree of disruption to students who are due to sit state examinations in 2022, details were announced in August 2021 of adjustments to the assessment arrangements for the Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate 2022.
The adjustments made ensure that the overall structure of the examinations remains intact but will allow for greater choice for students. The level of adjustment is similar to that applied to the Assessment Arrangements that was announced in December 2020.
