Dr. Anne Looney:

One of the key features of the mathematics programme was that participants already had to be teaching mathematics. Some of them had mathematics as a first year or second year subject and the course was designed to get them up to degree level in mathematics. No fees were charged and it was a lot of hard work for the teachers involved. There were exams and essays. It was a serious course led by UL. It has delivered a situation whereby most second-level students in Ireland are now taught by a degree level qualified mathematics teacher. It does show that when the system gears itself up, puts the resources in place and works with the higher education institutions it can respond to a need that is there.

With regard to Deputy O'Sullivan's observations on numbers and shifts in the population, the situation does change over time and it is very important that we take the opportunity now to put in place really good data collection measures so we know what we will need in future and can plan better. We can never predict that something will happen to the property market that will incentivise people to go and get money for a house, but we need to be able to see those things coming and put in place measures early whereby we can keep the supply of teachers steady.

Our experience in DCU is that our teachers who are overseas want to come back. They do not intend to live a life or teach a career over there. There has been an established tradition of teachers taking career breaks and going overseas and working abroad. This has been part of what younger teachers in particular did, but now, because of the property market, there is a real incentive for people to move to earn, but they do want to come home and that is their plan.