I assume the Deputy is referring to post-primary level. I acknowledge that the various budget measures that have taken place in recent years can limit the employment opportunities for newly qualified teachers. However, there are limits to the number of teaching posts that we can afford to fund as a country.
The redeployment of surplus permanent teachers is the first mechanism to fill teaching posts in schools. This is key to the ability of my Department to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers.
Thereafter, teaching posts are filled in the normal manner through the recruitment process at individual school level. This gives employment opportunities for teachers on fixed-term or part-time contracts and also newly qualified teachers.
Teaching resources are allocated to schools on a school year basis. The bulk of teaching posts in schools are allocated on a permanent basis. Unlike most other areas of the public service teaching vacancies continue to be filled in accordance with published Department criteria. The Government has prioritised, as best as possible, the filling of front-line posts in the Education sector within the constraints of the Employment Control Framework. This is all the more challenging to achieve at a time of rapidly increasing enrolments in our schools.