Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I am aware of the decreasing number of males entering the teaching profession and I know that the situation is particularly acute at primary level. The relatively low number of males in the teaching force is a feature common to all OECD countries. OECD statistics show the situation in Ireland to be close to the OECD average. It is important to attract more men into teaching for a number of reasons, not least of which is the positive role models teachers provide in children's lives and the desirability of having both male and female role models in our schools.

Teaching should be seen as an attractive profession for the best candidates of both genders. It is fulfilling work which makes a significant social contribution. With the increases in teachers' salaries under partnership agreements and benchmarking in recent years, it is also now a well paid job. The average salary for a teacher is now €50,000 per annum, an increase of approximately 43% on the 1997 figure. This compares very favourably with an average industrial wage of about €29,000 per annum. The pension and holiday entitlements of teachers also heighten the attractiveness of the profession. Teachers are deservedly held in very high regard in this country.

This Government wants to attract and reward the best teachers. In addition to increasing teachers' salaries, we have also undertaken other initiatives to enhance the status of the profession. Not least of these is the establishment of the Teaching Council as a professional regulatory body.

I know however, that a particular focused effort must be made to encourage more men to become teachers, particularly at primary level. A report on attracting more men into primary teaching is being compiled by a committee comprised of representatives of the colleges of education, the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, the INTO and officials of my Department.

The main objective of this committee is to make recommendations on strategies and initiatives to increase the number of males entering primary teaching. It is expected that the committee will make recommendations in respect of both short-term and long-term strategies. The work of the committee is almost complete and I understand I can expect to receive its report within a few weeks. In examining the recommendations of the committee, my Department will also have regard to elements of the report which would assist in the examination of this issue at second level.

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