Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 January 2024
300. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education her views on teacher shortages; how many positions remain unfilled; what measures she is taking to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2825/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnsuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government.
The vast majority of sanctioned teacher positions are filled. The rate of resignation and retirement is very low by any standard and is consistent with previous years.
The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In that regard, there are more than 3,700 individual employers (boards of management of primary schools and post primary schools, as well as ETBs).
While my Department does not collect data on the recruitment by individual employers, an analysis of the Department’s payroll systems (Teacher Payroll Unit and ETB Payroll Shared Services) as well as other relevant information systems is being undertaken to generate statistics on the teacher workforce across the country. This work began recently, is ongoing, and the relevant data is expected to be available in the near future.
Budget 2024 contains a range of measures that demonstrate my commitment to continued investment in our education system.
A professional masters’ of education incentive scheme will be introduced for newly qualified teachers. Those newly qualified teachers who graduate with a PME will, subject to some conditions, be eligible for an incentive payment of up to €2,000. This incentive payment will be paid to eligible primary and post-primary teachers in 2025.
Additionally, there will be an expansion in the number of upskilling programmes available. These programmes, which are free to teachers, increase the number of teachers who are qualified to teach in-demand subjects and reduce the level of out-of-field teaching. These new upskilling programmes in Irish, French, politics and society, and computer science will be in addition to existing upskilling programmes in maths, physics and Spanish.
An additional 1,000 posts of responsibility will be provided in the school system for the 2024/25 school year. This is in recognition that school leaders play a key role in improving educational outcomes by creating a positive school climate and environment as well as motivating and empowering educators and learners within their school communities.
These new measures are in addition to a range of targeted measures that I have introduced in recent times, including:
• Post-primary teachers can provide up to 35 additional hours of substitute cover per term in the subject they are qualified to teach. In term 1 of this school year, over 11,000 hours were provided under this scheme.
• Ensuring initial teacher education providers created existing flexibilities that enable student teachers to support schools, either while on placement, or in a substitute capacity. In 2023, more than 2,700 student teachers registered with the Teaching Council and provided valuable support to schools as substitute teachers. This number is expected to be exceeded in the current school year.
• Encouraging retired teachers to provide substitute cover. A communications campaign ran in early 2023 resulting in an increase in the number of teaching days provided by retired teachers of 49%, an increase of over 17,000 days between the 2021/22 school year, and the 2022/23 school year.
• Restrictions on job-sharing teachers and those on a career break from working as substitutes have been reduced.
• At primary level, 610 additional places have been approved on initial teacher education programmes for this and the next academic year (2023/24 and 2024/25).
• Newly qualified teachers (NQTs) employed in primary schools will from 14 November be able to apply to the Teaching Council to complete the Droichead process while employed on a Supply Panel or Principal Release Time Post. The measure has been extended to the end of the 2024/2025 school year. This measure increases the attractiveness of these posts to NQTs, and supports primary schools to provide substitute cover.
• Continuing the operation of primary substitute teacher supply panels in 2023/24, with 590 teaching posts allocated to 166 panels covering nearly 2,900 schools. This scheme provides substitute cover for teachers employed in primary schools who are absent on short-term leave.
Teaching is an attractive career choice:
• CAO first preference choices for post-primary teaching increased this year by 14%, in addition to a 9% increase in 2022.
• Starting pay for primary teachers is over 41,000 and for post-primary teachers is over €42,000 since October under the extension to Building Momentum.
• Almost 3,800 newly qualified teachers have registered with the Teaching Council in 2023, with over 122,000 now on the Teaching Council register.
My Department continues to engage closely with education stakeholders to develop further, innovative measures to address teacher supply issues.
