Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 February 2022
519. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education the number of teachers currently employed at primary level throughout the country; the extent to which this meets requirements at the present time; the ongoing efforts being made to address shortages in respect of teachers for permanent and or temporary positions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5126/22]
View answerThe 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).
Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on my Department's website. There are approximately 39,600 posts allocated at primary level in the current school year.
In November 2019, my Department published a technical report “Developing a Teacher Demand and Supply Model for Ireland 2020-2036”. The report was updated in May 2021 with projections of teacher demand and supply to 2038. Ultimately, the intention is to establish a robust data based model for the effective projection of future teacher demand and supply across the school system.
The main finding of the report at primary level is that a combination of a reduction in pupil enrolments and high levels of supply will create an oversupply of teachers which will peak during the middle of the 2020s, but gradually decline up to 2036. A small undersupply is thereafter projected to 2038. The report notes that a level of oversupply may be necessary to maintain an overall balance in the system.
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network is 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.
A number of additional measures have been put in place to enhance substitute cover in the current school year.
A significant number of additional posts have been allocated to the primary substitute teacher supply panels in areas where significant challenges in sourcing substitution continue, bringing the total to 680 posts on 142 panels, covering approximately 2,700 schools.
The supply panels work alongside the existing methods of sourcing substitute teachers, such as Sub Seeker, the national substitution portal service operated by the Irish Primary Principals' Network, and schools can also make local arrangements to have their own regular substitutes to call on if needed.
Continuing professional development (CPD) at primary level where substitution is required has been suspended until after the February mid-term break. This measure has allowed for teachers on secondment to my Department’s education support services to be available to provide substitute cover in schools through Sub Seeker.
Higher education institutions (HEIs) providing undergraduate programmes of primary and post-primary initial teacher education (ITE) have agreed to facilitate the release of 3rd and 4th year student teachers to support schools. To support this measure the Teaching Council has recently made regulations for the registration of these student teachers and is currently developing a system for their registration.
In addition, the HEIs providing professional master of education (PME) programmes have ensured flexibility in programme delivery to enhance the availability of PME students for substitute work. PME students have been advised to register with the Teaching Council and with Sub Seeker.
These measures are in addition to changes to the career break scheme, to permit teachers on career break to do unlimited substitution and changes to the job sharing scheme to permit job sharing teachers carry out substitute work on the days they are rostered off.
Primary schools with teaching principals have also been asked to cluster their allocations of principal release days to form a full-time fixed-term posts to minimise the requirement for substitute teachers.
The Department and its Inspectorate continue to provide support to schools where they continue to experience difficulties in sourcing sufficient substitute cover.
