Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Has the Teaching Council any proposals for how the teaching profession could be more representative of Irish society? Irish society has totally changed in the past 20 years with respect to race, ethnicity, gender, including LGBTQ members, socioeconomic status, Traveller background and so on.

Has much thought been put into how social changes in Ireland have happened over the last ten years? There has been a total change in this time. Teachers in the past, particularly at primary level, but also those at second level, would not come out in respect of their sexuality because they were afraid. As will be well known, doing so was frowned upon by many boards of management, etc. Thankfully, this situation has completely changed in recent years. Has much thought been put into this aspect and the changes that have occurred socially and in the dynamics in this regard in recent years?