Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In addition, as he probably saw, the recent graduate survey by the Higher Education Authority found that 73% of graduate teachers are being placed in jobs in Ireland. That is a substantial increase over the past few years. More young graduates are getting jobs in Ireland and the numbers emigrating are falling. Significant numbers are studying science, which is a very important area for the future.

I assure the House that I am working to make sure that we deal with the areas where there are difficulties in teacher supply. I recognise that this year it is becoming more difficult than it was last year to, for example, fill substitute positions. Last year, I increased the number of days that persons on career breaks could work from 40 to 90 in the case of primary school teachers and for secondary teachers from 150 hours to 300 hours. I am in discussions with the Teaching Council of Ireland and the various stakeholders on further measures we can take in respect of difficulties with substitution.

I also have real ambitions, as Deputy Byrne mentioned, to improve our performance in areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, STEM, foreign languages, Irish and other subjects where there are pinch points, such as home economics and so on. I have moved to take action in these areas. I increased the provision for those entering home economics, introduced a Gaeltacht policy specifically for the development of excellence in the Irish language in the Gaeltacht, provided for additional resources in the National University of Ireland, Galway, NUIG, to see that additional teachers would be educated and to upgrade and support the teaching of Irish in schools that commit to an immersion approach. These are really important elements.

In the depths of the recession, there was a very conscious policy to discourage the giving of substitute hours to people retiring from teaching. That position has changed and we now recognise that people who retire from teaching can be a very valuable resource for providing substitution. More than 60% of those who retire from teaching retire before the age of 60. Many of them are available to deal with some of the pressure points that emerge in providing substitution. There is scope for seeing more development in those areas.

I am in no way complacent about our needs in this area. We faced a very significant bulge in the primary school population and that is moving to second level. We are planning for the increased number of teachers we will need in the second level system to respond to the growing numbers over the coming years. We also need to recognise that the system, and I think Deputy Byrne adverted to this, that has been in place for many years for admission to teacher education has been pretty blind to the subject areas of need. That was not a satisfactory approach and we need to be more conscious of the subject areas of need in planning provision for student places with the institutes of higher education.

Several Deputies referred to the fall off in applications for the master's degree. They rightly recognised that part of this is because some years ago, on foot of work by the inspectorate, it was recognised that the one year master's, the higher diploma, H. Dip., as it was then, did not provide sufficient pedagogical instruction or learning for young people to go into the classroom. That was extended. I would be very slow to reconsider a decision that was made some time ago on grounds of teaching quality. I recognise that there is a cost element and that has definitely contributed. However, numbers accessing all the other routes into education, other than the master's in primary education, PME, at second level have been very robust.

This is an important debate and I recognise the importance of responding and making sure we deal with these needs. I will be announcing a comprehensive set of measures soon, following consultation with relevant partners in the area. I thank the Deputy for bringing the matter to the House. I was disappointed that he did not recognise in his motion any of the progress we have been making in this field but that is politics. I assure the House that I will be working not only to sustain the progress I have made in the past two years, but to identify areas where we need to do better, particularly in our ambitions for STEM, foreign languages, the Irish language and many other areas where we have genuine national ambitions.

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