Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that the Minister has published the circulars and that there will be some movement in terms of implementation of the key recommendations this September.

The Ward report also makes medium and long term recommendations and, in particular, calls for the putting in place of a structured process for the medium and long-term planning of teacher provision with a view to better matching the qualifications of teachers with the subject requirement of pupils. What is the current position with regard to that recommendation and what are the Minister's plans in this regard? The difficulty is that there does not appear to be any planning in relation to ensuring we have a supply of teachers in key subject areas, in respect of which future demand is likely to be high. It is important that recommendation is acted upon.

Another key issue not addressed in the Ward report is newly qualified teachers being probated, which is a disincentive to current students considering a career in teaching. Many newly qualified teachers are finding it exceptionally difficult to get the level of hours required to ensure they are probated. The Minister will be aware that to be probated, a newly qualified teacher requires a minimum of 100 days teaching in at least two 50-day blocks. I am aware of many teachers who after three or four periods of part-time teaching still have not managed to be probated. This issue needs to be addressed. The Department needs to grapple with how it can assist students in this regard.

Another issue which is making the profession less attractive is qualification allowances. The incentive previously in place to ensure teachers continued to upskill and engage with further education courses has been abolished. That decision should be reviewed by the Minister. Overall, the profession has not been appropriately valued in recent years. It is important the outstanding measures to which I have referred are addressed by the Department. I welcome that the recommendations of the Ward report will be acted upon or implemented this coming September.

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