Vol. 395 No. 1
7 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if it is the case that fewer than 150 of the 2,000 teachers qualified to teach in primary and secondary schools last year have by now obtained permanent jobs in Irish schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
In 1987 there were 1,733 students attending the Colleges of Education, there are now 1,090. In the light of the deomgraphic trends the numbers that should be recruited to the Colleges of Education were revised. In 1987 the number recruited to the colleges was 533 whereas the number recruited in 1988 and in 1989 was 275.
The full impact of the limitation on recruitment will not be evident until 1991 because of the three year cycle between recruitment and graduation.
As regards opportunities for employment, as I said earlier, there are 95 additional posts for disadvantaged areas, 82 of which were filled by open recruitment. There are 30 additional remedial posts, most of which will be filled by open recruitment. At any one time there are in excess of 1,250 teachers on career breaks of one to five years duration. Eight hundred substitute teachers are required on any one day. Each year 750 plus permanent and temporary teachers leave the service. The pupil/teacher ratio — PTR — improvement from 1 September 1990 will provide at least 250 new jobs in primary schools.
My Department sanctioned the filling of 145 permanent vacancies in secondary schools at the beginning of the present school year other than through the redeployment scheme for secondary school teachers. In addition 58 temporary incremental appointments were approved.
The numbers entering the higher diploma in education courses have declined significantly from, 1,127 in 1986-87, to 681 in 1989-90. It is not possible to say how many of these posts were taken up by first time graduate teachers. Let me add that the rules demand that substitutes for teachers on career breaks must be fully qualified. Therefore, much as one would like every single teacher who is fully qualified to have a permanent post, that would not be possible because of the need for fully qualified substitute teachers.
Is the Minister aware that it costs the Irish taxpayer £32,000 for each teacher who is trained and at present, because of the policy to continue training teachers and the lack of openings in the Irish educational system for Irish trained teachers, what is happening is that the Irish taxpayer is subsidising the British educational system and that of other countries to which our teachers have no option but to emigrate? Would she further agree that there is an urgent need to provide these teachers with openings particularly in the primary school sector where there is a disgracefully unfavourable teacher/pupil ratio to deal with such matters as remedial education, career guidance and the problems of curriculum development. In view of the fact we are already spending so much money training these teachers, would the Minister agree that it is false economy on our part and a subsidy to the economies of other countries, not to provide teachers with adequate employment opportunities?
That is precisely what we are doing, Deputy.
Indeed it is not.
The Deputy is speaking with forked tongue. At the beginning of his supplementary question he implied that we should not train any more teachers at present.
The Deputy did not say anything of the sort.
The Deputy then went on to make the case for providing jobs for these teachers, and with that I can agree. To that end, in September we will be providing an additional 250 new posts, if not more. The measures we have taken in regard to additional posts in disadvantaged areas and for remedial teachers will I hope be encouraged in the coming year.
A brief supplementary Deputy.
In view of the fact that the Minister seemed to have difficulty understanding my last question, may I simplify it for her? Would she agree that by failing to provide teachers with opportunities to work in this country she is wasting the Irish taxpayers' money and that these teachers are taking their expensive Irish training to other countries?
Education at first, second, third or fourth levels is never a waste of money. Everybody improves by having education. What a slur on anybody who goes on to further education——
They should be provided with jobs in this country.
What a slur——
The Minister has failed the student teachers.
I am calling the next question.
