Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government committed to the recruiting of additional teachers within a reformed and better managed public service. Earlier today, parents in a primary school in my constituency of Dublin Rathdown received a message from the principal stating, "In the new year there will be teaching vacancies in our school. These positions have been advertised repeatedly over the last three months without a single reply." This is an appalling position for a principal of the school to be put in with regard to managing her school. It is an appalling position for the teachers, given the extra pressure of operating in a school that has a shortage of staff. Most importantly, it is appalling for the children who have to attend a school where there will not be enough teachers to properly provide the best possible education for those children.

This school will, of course, continue to try its hardest to fill those vacancies but the fact remains many schools across the country are dealing with the same issue.

3 o’clock

Pay inequality is very much part of the problem as students are refusing to join the teaching profession while, for the same reasons, young teachers are walking away from it. What measures is the Government adopting to tackle teacher shortages?

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