Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I just wanted to state that.

I want to talk about the INTO survey results. These are really worrying. There are now more than 950 teacher posts vacant in primary and special schools across Ireland. Every one of those vacancies represents a classroom full of children.

As a TD for Wicklow, I am particularly worried because the survey results mention that there has been a significant increase in the number of vacant posts in our county and there are currently 38 projected substitute vacancies for Wicklow. What that means, in real terms, is 38 classes without a qualified teacher for the school year ahead. This is something that has been raised with me for a number of years. Indeed, one of the classes in our constituency had 37 children in it at the start of this school term. That is not teaching; it is just crowd control. What response will the Government have to this crisis in the education system?

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