Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

The second issue I wish to raise with the Leader is the extent to which the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills is out of touch with the scale of unemployment among young teachers. I am shocked and galled that of 400 graduates from one of our teacher training colleges this year, only 30 are employed. The Tánaiste does not even need the public finances to be rectified to fix the mess over which she presides at present. When I met 40 young teachers yesterday, they told me the probation period for newly qualified teachers was being cut from five years to three and that there were no posts in which they could be on probation. That could be fixed with the stroke of a pen. Some principal teachers, including one I know of in Galway, are hiring retired teachers to cover for teachers on maternity leave. This is completely wrong and the Minister must intervene. By having such a spot one could allow a teacher to teach on probation. It is outrageous that the Minister would seek to amend legislation to allow unqualified teachers to teach when so many young teachers are on the dole. Let her get a grip. I call for an urgent debate on the matter to replace statements on the restructuring of the VECs.