Written Answers. - School Staffing.
Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:
186
Cecilia Keaveney
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties in Donegal with the continuity of teaching personnel in primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24449/03]
Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:
187
Cecilia Keaveney
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
if all primary schools in County Donegal have their full complement of permanent staff; the percentage that are working at less than 100% of permanent staff; the plans he has to remedy this; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[24450/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 186 and 187 together.
The employment of teaching personnel is a matter for individual boards of management. My Department does not have information on the number of schools that have vacancies for permanent teachers. Temporary teachers are employed by boards of management to replace teachers who are absent on career breaks, job-sharing, parental leave, carer's leave or unpaid maternity leave. In addition some ex-quota posts are sanctioned by the special education section of my Department on a temporary basis. There are currently 56 temporary teachers employed in primary schools in County Donegal.
The primary sector, including schools in Donegal, 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, to cater for pupils in disadvantaged areas and to provide for those with special educational needs. The difficulties being experienced are aggravated by the number of teachers availing of career break and job-sharing schemes.
My Department has introduced a range of measures to address the current shortage of qualified teachers and is also examining further options for addressing the teacher supply issue in consultation with relevant interests. Since 1999, more than 1,000 students have been admitted annually to the BEd programme in the colleges of education. This represents a doubling of the number admitted to the programme in 1996. The total intake in the 2002-03 academic year is approximately 1,350 students. This compares with an intake of 500 in 1996-97. There are currently some 3,500 students enrolled and pursuing various stages of primary teacher training programmes in the Colleges of Education. I have recently announced that I will be prepared to recognise graduates of a new primary teacher training course for the purposes of primary teaching. The new course is being accredited by HETAC and it will be delivered by Hibernia College. It is important also 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.
In addition to increasing the output of graduates, other initiatives have been introduced to increase the number of trained personnel. BEd 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 Montessori College, Dún Laoghaire, which is recognised by HETAC, or received the Montessori qualification awarded on completion of the three-year full-time course at the AMI college, are recognised as being fully qualified substitute teachers and are recognised to teach in certain categories of special schools and 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 necessity to hold an Irish language qualification is also contributing to an improvement in the supply of trained primary teachers. I am committed to ensuring that the existing shortage of qualified teachers will be eliminated within the next two to three years and in this context my Department will continue to consider new initiatives and keep existing initiatives under review.
Cecilia Keaveney
Ceist:
188
Cecilia Keaveney
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the percentage of primary schools operating with teachers who are currently on contracts of over one year or less; the percentage of these schools which have had a history of working on annual contracts; and if he will make a statement on the implications this has for continuity.
[24451/03]
Details of the duration of individual temporary teachers' contracts are not available within my Department. Temporary teachers are employed by boards of management to replace teachers who are absent on career break, job-sharing, parental leave, carer's leave or unpaid maternity leave. In addition, some ex-quota posts are sanctioned by the special education section of my Department on a temporary basis. There are currently 2,450 temporary teachers employed in primary schools.
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 are aggravated by the number of teachers availing of career break and job-sharing schemes.
My Department has introduced a range of measures to address the current shortage of qualified teachers and is also examining further options for addressing the teacher supply issue in consultation with relevant interests. Since 1999, more than 1,000 students have been admitted annually to the BEd programme in the colleges of education. This represents a doubling of the number admitted to the programme in 1996. The total intake in the 2002-03 academic year is approximately 1,350 students. This compares with an intake of 500 in 1996-97. There are currently some 3,500 students enrolled and pursuing various stages of primary teacher training programmes in the Colleges of Education. I have recently announced that I will be prepared to recognise graduates of a new primary teacher training course for the purposes of primary teaching. The new course is being accredited by HETAC and it will be delivered by Hibernia College. It is important also 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.
In addition to increasing the output of graduates, other initiatives have been introduced to increase the number of trained personnel. BEd 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 Montessori College, Dún Laoghaire, which is recognised by HETAC, or the Montessori qualification which is awarded on completion of the three-year full-time course at the AMI college, are recognised as being fully qualified substitute teachers and are recognised 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 necessity to hold an Irish language qualification is also contributing to an improvement in the supply of trained primary teachers. I am committed to ensuring that the existing shortage of qualified teachers will be eliminated within the next two to three years and in this context my Department will continue to consider new initiatives and keep existing initiatives under review.
