Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The managerial bodies are the employers. As I have stated on many occasions, there is a public private partnership arrangement in the education system between the State, on one hand, and the patron bodies or employers on the other. We can urge, make requests and engage in dialogue, but we cannot give direction to employers in the context of who they can or cannot employ. Since I became Minister for Education and Skills, we have strongly emphasised that in short-term situations where a crisis exists and in isolated parts of the country, the only person available to perform classroom functions may be a qualified teacher who is retired. That is a short-term emergency function and it should be for no longer than a week at the outset. In the context of predictable structured absences of extended duration, such as those relating to maternity or compassionate leave, management bodies should respond to the calls from unions and others to give preference to young teachers.

I am referring here to teachers who are qualified and probated. The point the Deputy has highlighted relates to an even more acute situation whereby young teachers cannot avail of enough days - now 100 as distinct from 170 - to allow them to be considered qualified and probated. The co-operation of the unions is required in this regard. The latter must accept into their ranks newly qualified teachers who are attempting to obtain probationary positions without being used in any way as substitutes for full-time teachers. There is a question of trust in this regard. I have a track record on this matter. When I introduced community employment programmes, there was no dislodgement of legitimate employees when newly qualified teachers were brought into the system on a short-term basis.

The Deputy's second point relates to supply. I accept that perhaps there is an oversupply of teachers, but those teachers are not just being trained for the national market. Teachers are in short supply internationally. Britain is our nearest neighbour. There is a crisis in southern England - from The Wash down to the south coast - as a result of the shortage of highly qualified teachers. As the Deputy pointed out, teachers trained in this country are very well regarded internationally. Likewise, there is a demand in the United Arab Emirates for professional teachers with Irish backgrounds. That is an option of which young Irish citizens may very well want to avail. The problem does not necessarily lie with the online college because some people in their mid-20s, having gone through the initial undergraduate phase, may decide that they want to transfer and they take the conversion course as a result. There is a balance to be struck between the three. There is a problem in this regard and I am glad the Deputy has brought it to my attention.

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