Over the past number of years, my Department has been working on issues related to teacher supply in primary and post-primary schools. This work is led by the Teacher Supply Steering Group, chaired by the Secretary General of my Department.
The technical report prepared by my Department ‘Developing a Teacher Demand and Supply Model for Ireland 2020-2038’ outlines the complexity of projecting teacher demand and supply, in particular at post-primary level.
Work is under way to develop projections for post-primary teacher demand and supply at a subject level based on up-to-date data from a number of sources. The aim is to develop an effective model to indicate subject level projections for post-primary schools, as part of overall teacher demand and supply projections. This work is a key priority and will be central to informing teacher supply planning in coming years.