Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 19 Dec 1991

Vol. 414 No. 10

Written Answers. - Teacher Numbers.

Madeleine Taylor-Quinn

Ceist:

120 Mrs. Taylor-Quinn asked the Minister for Education if he will outline in the categories of male and female (a) the number of lay teachers who are at present employed in second level schools, (b) the number of lay principals similarly employed, (c) the statistics which are available, if any, of lay teachers employed in second level schools over the past 40 years, and (d) the number of lay principals over the past 40 years in second level education.

Minister for Education (Mr. Davern)

With regard to item (b) of the Deputy's question, data concerning principal teachers are provided in the following statistical table.

Number of Principal Teachers in Post-Primary Schools 1990-91*

	Lay	Religious
	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
Secondary	119	46	165	118	196	314
Community and
Comprehensive	62	3	65	4	3	7

* A Male/Female breakdown of principal teachers in vocational schools is not readily available. It may be assumed that the vast majority of, if not all, principals in vocational schools are lay teachers.

Historical data concerning principal teachers are not available. So far as the remainder of the Deputy's question is concerned, I have provided two further statistical tables which contain data under a number of the headings requested and cover the period 1950-51 — 1990-91 in five-year bands. Historical data have been extracted from my Department's annual reports for the years in question. In many cases, the detailed cross-classifications of data requested by the Deputy were not present in the earlier annual reports.

Number of Full-Time Teachers in Post-Primary Schools.

	Secondary*	Vocational	Community and Comprehensive
	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
1950-51	1,160	1,059	2,219	N/A	N/A	1,125	—	—	—
1955-56	1,330	1,270	2,600	N/A	N/A	1,427	—	—	—
1960-61	1,660	1,574	3,234	N/A	N/A	1,661	—	—	—
1965-66	2,161	2,092	4,253	N/A	N/A	2,340	—	—	—
1970-71	N/A	N/A	7,272	N/A	N/A	3,791	70	39	109
1975-76	N/A	N/A	9,830	N/A	N/A	4,279	544	432	976
1980-81	5,304	6,436	11,740	N/A	N/A	4,790	927	757	1,684
1985-86	5,440	6,590	12,030	3,014	1,980	4,994	1,204	1,050	2,254
1990-91†	5,150	6,400	11,550	N/A	N/A	N/A	1,323	1,135	2,458

* Data in respect of secondary schools refer to teachers in receipt of incremental salary.

†As vocational teachers are paid by their respective V. E. Cs and are not on my Department's computerised payroll, corresponding data are not immediately to hand in respect of vocational schools for the 1990-91 academic year. .fe

N/A = Not available.

Number of Full-Time Post-Primary Teachers Distinguished by Lay/Religious and Male/Female.*

	Secondary†	Community and Comprehensive
	Lay	Religious	Lay	Religious
	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
1950-51	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	—	—	—	—	—	—
1955-56	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	—	—	—	—	—	—
1960-61	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	—	—	—	—	—	—
1965-66	1,211	1,009	2,220	950	1,083	2,033	—	—	—	—	—	—
1970-71	N/A	N/A	4,923	N/A	N/A	2,349	60	34	94	10	5	15
1975-76	N/A	N/A	7,455	N/A	N/A	2,375	506	393	899	38	39	77
1980-81	N/A	N/A	9,634	N/A	N/A	2,106	875	686	1,561	52	71	123
1985-86	N/A	N/A	10,305	N/A	N/A	1,725	1,131	971	2,102	73	79	152
1990-91	4,717	5,658	10,375	433	742	1,175	1,253	1,052	2,305	70	83	153

* Data concerning vocational teachers are not included in this table. For the purposes of the reply, it may be assumed that the vast majority of vocational teachers are lay persons.

† Data in respect of secondary schools refer to teachers in receipt of incremental salary.

N/A = Not available.