Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased to respond on behalf of the Government and in support of my colleague, the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, on the topic of teacher supply. Ensuring our children are taught by qualified teachers is a priority issue for the Department of Education and the Government. This morning we have heard about the various measures put in place by the Department and the education partners to address teacher supply. Approximately 3,500 newly qualified teachers have had their registrations finalised by the Teaching Council in 2022 to date. These teachers are an additional source of supply in the current school year. New regulations are in place allowing the registration of third and fourth year undergraduate initial teacher education students with the Teaching Council. Flexible arrangements for teachers job-sharing or on career break have been put in place, along with temporary arrangements for a pension abatement waiver for retired teachers and a capacity to work beyond the full 22-hour teaching time for post-primary teachers.

Teacher supply is a complex issue. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, acknowledged earlier that wider societal challenges associated with the cost of living and the availability of housing are affecting the supply of teachers. This is a challenge faced by every sector. The Minister outlined to the House the measures the Government is putting in place to address this situation. She also noted that the starting salary for teachers in Ireland has improved significantly in recent times and that the starting salary here is significantly greater than that in Northern Ireland.

The motion before us makes a wide range of points regarding teacher shortages. It fails, however, to acknowledge the significant work already been done by the Department and the education partners in this area. For example, we now have 450 teachers employed on supply panels, covering sub-vacancies in schools right across the country. These teachers are providing an invaluable service in our classrooms and were not available to schools in these numbers previously. We also have the free programmes for post-primary registered teachers to upskill in subjects where teacher supply is problematic, such as in mathematics, Spanish and physics. This represents a considerable investment by the State. By the end of 2024, approximately 750 teachers should have completed these programmes and registered with the Teaching Council in these subjects. The motion also fails to take account of the fact that there are increasing options for young people to study to be teachers over four years in subjects such as modern foreign languages, Irish, mathematics and computer science. These offer the opportunity to qualify as a teacher in four years and to avoid the time and expense of taking the PME route.

The school system continues to respond well to the constant challenges thrown at it. Having weathered a pandemic, we have, in more recent times, needed to ensure that large numbers of Ukrainian children have access to education. More than 3,500 additional teaching posts have been put into the system in the current year. Despite the actions taken already, the Government accepts that challenges remain and further steps must be implemented. My colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, has outlined to the House further actions being advanced or under consideration. The Government recognises the leadership role the Department of Education plays on this issue. It is also true that the issues of teacher demand and supply require the contribution and co-operation of a broad range of education partners. The Department of Education will continue to work closely and intensively with stakeholders to develop and implement solutions to address the current teacher supply challenges.

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