Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is about ten years since this cap came in. One of the concerns I have is a report that states that four times as many places are being offered by just one private college and that more than one in three new primary teachers have come from the private market. I understand there can be strategic reasons for limiting the number of teachers trained. However, simply allowing the private sector to take over the training of primary teachers does not serve the public's best interest. In fact, it adds to barriers to those who want to pursue a career in teaching.

I welcome that the technological universities are starting in this area and expanding into it. That is very important because the provision of teacher training for many years was curtailed to certain geographic areas, which was also becoming a barrier for people. We have some of the largest class sizes in Europe. This situation has been described as an absolute crisis. Teacher supply also needs to take into account those needed in the classroom. It is a matter of the availability of teachers, so there should be consideration of those who may be on parental leave or maternity leave.

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