Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There are a number of routes into teaching as the Deputy is aware. Recognising the issue around the PME route and the expense of it, I have already outlined the €2,000 support there. I want to acknowledge the 3,500 teachers graduating every year. It is very significant. I have also increased the number of places on the initial teacher education programmes by more than 600 over two years. There were 2,700 student teachers last year who registered with the Teaching Council. We have never had such a high level of registrations with the Teaching Council in terms of student teachers making themselves available. Restrictions across a whole variety of schemes, whether it is the job-sharing schemes, have been lifted. There is a waiver of abatement for retired teachers. We have looked at teachers at post-primary level who wish to teach additional hours and they can do so and be recompensed for it. We have looked at teacher sharing schemes and as I said we looked at posts of responsibility because again it is a pathway towards furthering oneself in one's career and 1,000 additional posts have been made available there. There are also the PME schemes and the upskilling programmes. I know these work. I attended a graduation in University of Limerick, UL, a couple of weeks ago where more than 100 teachers graduated in maths.

See this speech in context