Ms Joan Russell:

Being last is always difficult. I had a lovely presentation but there are lines through everything because everyone has said everything already. I will therefore paraphrase it. Following a survey we conducted, last month we made a written submission on the issues we are facing in the education and training board, ETB, sector. We welcome the opportunity to engage the committee again today, however. We also would welcome the opportunity to work with the Teaching Council, the higher education institutions, the teachers' unions and other management bodies to devise and construct policies that will address the issue in the short term and, more importantly, in the long term. Short-term solutions alone are not really satisfactory.

While ETBs are patrons of 12 primary schools, we have more than 170 post-primary schools.

The issue at primary level is substitution. Long-term contracts are an issue at post-primary level because of the specialised subjects. When we submitted the paper to the committee in January, we had gathered data over two different periods and the same thing stands. There are issues with teachers of Irish, home economics, mathematics, particularly for higher level in the leaving certificate, French, Spanish, German, chemistry, physics, special education and guidance counselling. As my colleague, Mr. Dónal Ó hAiniféin, said, it is further compounded with Gaelcholáiste and Gaelscoileanna in Gaeltacht and non-Gaeltacht areas. We welcome the Striking the Balance teacher supply report which was published in 2015, and is now almost three years old, as an inaugural attempt to address the issue of teacher supply. However, it has to be acknowledged that it falls short on the issues in the post-primary sector. We need to move on the post-primary sector urgently. The recommendation to allocate resources to facilitate the report's implementation is fully supported by ETBI. We will readily work in partnership to progress a solution to this crisis.

On recommendation No. 3 of the report, about gathering relevant data, much work has been done by various management bodies which would certainly act as a platform from which further work could be launched. It is time, and even beyond time, to progress this. It is a crisis. As part of the submission in January, we outlined some solutions that could be explored to address the issue. I will not continue to highlight the issue of pay and better contracts because all my colleagues have said this already. It is crucial that the unequal pay and situation with better contracts is addressed. It is unsustainable for us to ask teachers to take up contracts for three or four hours in the week and, at the same time, live in the current climate with the cost of living, buying a house, renting a house, buying a car, etc. As a Corkwoman, I would not agree that those working in Dublin should get a grant but I agree with my colleague that there are issues everywhere, even in rural areas. In County Cork, from Schull to Bantry to the north of Cork, there are huge distances to travel.

It is time to be more strategic in our planning. When measures are identified to meet a particular need or solve a particular issue, consideration needs to be given to the long-term impact of such measures. In particular, I am talking about such things as promotional opportunities and the moratorium on promotional opportunities in 2010. It was a solution at the time because of the financial crisis. However, the impact that has had on the teaching career cannot be underestimated. Teachers have been going in and until recently, with the publication of the circular letter 03/18, there was no opportunity to be promoted within the school sector. That has had a huge impact on teachers' careers and the profession overall. The impact of moving guidance counsel allocation out of the ex quota position and into quota has an impact on guidance counselling and causes a lack of it. Why would teachers pay for a course, give up their time outside of school hours and end up with a lack of security with regard to being able to use that course?

While ETBI understands the economic crisis was an issue, more strategic consideration needs to be given to measurements for the future. I will address two more matters which are very close to my heart. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan mentioned home economics. It is important to increase the number of home economics teachers but training should not be at just one college. We need to look at establishing a second college. The positioning of one college on the west coast is not really suitable for people travelling from the south west or south east of the country. These people are being attracted into industry, an issue which was raised already.

I compliment the Teaching Council on the development of Festival of Education in Learning and Teaching Excellence, FÉILTE, to celebrate all that is good in teaching and the sharing of best practice. We could mirror that by promoting teaching as a career of choice, all that is good in teaching and what can be achieved in teaching. It is an opportunity where all stakeholders could come together and promote teaching as a career choice.