Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair for the opportunity to speak on this important motion, which I fully support.

We are facing a serious teacher shortage issue, with the education of our children at stake. The fact that 91% of our secondary schools are experiencing teacher recruitment issues is concerning. The TUI survey, which is mentioned in the motion, revealed that 71% of schools that advertised jobs in recent months had not got a single applicant. That is unbelievable. There is not a single area in the country that is not affected by this. My constituency of Donegal is experiencing significant problems in recruiting and retaining teachers. Parents will know this, as their children are having to sit through free class after free class while principals struggle to find teachers to even supervise those classes, never mind actually teach them.

The Government can hardly be surprised at this stage. Consider for a moment what this country offers our teachers: an accommodation shortage; high rental costs; no hope of ever buying or building a house; a cost-of-living crisis; long commutes; a skeleton public transport service; a broken healthcare system; astronomical childcare costs; few permanent teaching contracts; job instability; and a low standard of living. Is it any wonder that we are seeing such high emigration rates among our newly qualified teachers as well as our newly qualified nurses and, indeed, all young people who are newly qualified and in search of a decent standard of living? This is no country for young people. Sadly, it is no country for anyone at the minute.

Schools are relying heavily on student teachers. PME students are working hard to fill the gap left by teacher shortages. Without them, schools would even struggle to open. I have been contacted by many PME students who are finding the pressure of this, as well as college and other work, difficult. To complete a PME, one needs to complete two years at college and 440 hours of placement in a school. However, most PME students are now expected by schools to work a full school week due to current shortages. This would be difficult enough in itself, but most PME students are forced to undertake other work due to the fact that it costs more than €10,000 to complete the two-year degree. PME students are people who have already undertaken an undergraduate degree. As such, the idea that they are able to pay more than €10,000 while also paying to live in Dublin, one of the most expensive capitals in the world, for two years is unreasonable. It is therefore impossible for students to complete this degree without also undertaking other jobs.

The Minister for Education needs to consider the lack of permanent contracts. The sad reality is that teachers are often in precarious employment due to a lack of permanent contracts. They are being paid less than teachers recruited before 2011. The Minister is considering the suspension of non-statutory leave arrangements such as career breaks, which will not address this issue in any way and may actually make the problem worse. There is little to encourage teachers to stay in this country as matters stand and the option of non-statutory leave may just well be the one thing keeping many of them from leaving. We have to hold on to the teachers we have. If we do not, the situation will only get worse until we are faced with ongoing school closures.

We also need to address the obstacles facing those who are considering teaching as a profession. We need to fund the PME fully so that people can afford to complete the degree and we need to put emphasis on ongoing professional development, which can be completed online to facilitate rural schools. There are solutions out there for the Minister if she is willing to listen and engage, but that is the problem - there is no listening or engaging.

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