Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Last week, I highlighted an issue that is making teaching highly unattractive and directly impacting on the supply crisis in the education sector, namely, the lack of full-time contracts being offered to new teachers. The Taoiseach replied that we have more teachers in Ireland than ever before, that the pupil-teacher ratio is lower than in the past, that we have a pay deal with teachers and that we are in a period of full employment in the private and public sectors. However, that was not my point. The issue is that only 13% of teachers receive permanent full-time contracts on initial appointment and that only 31% of teachers recruited since 2011 got full hours in their first year of teaching. This was made more evident to me this week. Numerous teachers across all levels of the education sector have reached out to me to highlight the difficulties they face owing to their not receiving full-time contracts. They are employed, but in the absence of full-time contracts they have no creditworthiness to obtain mortgages. After incurring the hardship and financial burden associated with merely obtaining an education, the young people of Ireland are emigrating. Floods of teachers are leaving for other shores, and some for other jobs altogether, because they simply cannot obtain mortgage approval or survive financially on part-time contracts. No wonder they choose to leave. We are crying out for teachers, but, as a direct result of contract issues, teachers have no option but to emigrate.

The Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, has confirmed that a pilot scheme, to be rolled out from September, will allow two schools to work together to recruit teachers. Secondary schools have to share teachers due to the critical shortage. The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Harris, recently conceded that the employment controls are in need of reform and spoke of starting the journey towards reducing student-staff ratios and improving Ireland’s position in global rankings. Student-staff ratios are at about 20:1 or more in Irish universities by comparison with an international average of about 14:1 or 15:1. While the ratios have improved in primary schools, they are still below par by comparison with elsewhere in Europe. Ireland is in the bottom third in Europe.

The Government needs to act. If nothing is done, we will lose our emerging talent to countries overseas that offer significant incentives in contracts and a better standard of living overall. We need proper action so that we have some chance of retaining our talent. I want the Taoiseach to consider the lived experience of teachers on part-time contracts. I also want him to consider providing the relevant funding and put in place the relevant actions to ensure newly qualified teachers are offered full-time jobs with full-time hours and full-time salaries.

Teachers in my constituency, which comprises Louth and part of east Meath, and elsewhere throughout Ireland deserve better. Will the Taoiseach please invest in our teachers and education system? This is a requirement for child development and teachers’ livelihoods, and for some it is a requirement for their financial and housing commitments. We have a problem, and the Government can solve it.

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