Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Deputy's proactive engagement in this space. We recognise that we are at near full employment and that there are challenges within the education sector, similar to challenges we have in the hospitality or business sector - you name the sector and there are challenges. I acknowledge that should not in any way diminish the particular challenges that a principal might have and face at a given time in terms of teacher availability. It is more acute in some areas than in others.

Specifically regarding the PME and the two-year aspect, in the first instance I have visited an awful lot of schools and met an awful lot of student teachers and one of the key issues highlighted to me is the cost. Because of the cost we introduced this €2,000 support for PME graduates and that is a very positive step forward. We keep everything under review but I am conscious, and everybody in this House knows, that more and more is being asked now of teachers. They are asked to be qualified in so many different aspects: special education; relationship sexuality education, RSE; social, personal and health education, SPHE; the curricular subjects they teach, and so much more. It is a significant demand on them and it was for that reason it was extended in the first place to two years but we keep everything under review.

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