Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome all of the measures. Some effort has been made to tackle substitution by deploying student teachers, albeit that we have been calling for this for some time. However, it is only part of the solution. Much more can be done, and every school must have access to a substitution panel. This is an emergency, and we need all hands on deck. Student teachers alone will not solve this crisis. Several hundred teachers are on secondment to other bodies. I would not usually advocate this, but given that we are in a state of emergency, surely it is time to identify some of these teachers and for them to return back to the classroom. Principals are under incredible pressure to find substitute cover. Sometimes they have no other option but to deploy a special education teacher to cover a mainstream class. This is not by choice but by necessity. Last year, schools were able to bank those special education hours to protect special education teaching time for children with additional needs. I cannot understand why this year, when the substitution crisis has deteriorated even further, that banking is no longer an option. This is one thing the Minister can do immediately.

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