Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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I taught in secondary school for years before I was elected here. I saw teachers coming into the school and maybe not having the qualifications to meet the Teaching Council criteria and having to take on courses, in the evening time or whatever, at their own expense. That can be quite a burden, especially when one takes into account housing, the cost-of-living crisis etc.

I come from Cavan. There were quite a lot of teachers from Fermanagh, for example, who taught in the school. I never turned around and asked them where did they qualify and I am not sure if they were trained in the North or the South. In a Border county, one will have people travelling and the easier it is to teach in both jurisdictions, the better. The outcomes for our students are similar anyway, whichever school they go to. I thank Mr. Boyle.