Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would like to move on without interruption. I would like to raise an issue which I have raised here on a number of occasions, namely, the chronic shortage of teachers throughout our schools. I have highlighted this issue in the House on a number of previous occasions but, unfortunately, nothing has happened on it to date. I understand that our party, Fianna Fáil, has a Private Members' motion tabled for debate in the Lower House tomorrow evening which will again highlight this issue and bring forward what the party sees as solutions to it. I have no doubt that all Members of the Lower House will support that very worthwhile motion.

It has been clearly apparent for a long time that schools are finding it extremely challenging to obtain and retain teachers in the right subjects so that students in our schools are able to select the subjects of their choice. I recently heard a statistic in respect of the subject of physics. There are only six physics teachers due to graduate over the next two years. That highlights the problems we have in that subject alone. We have the ongoing cruel situation whereby young, newly-qualified teachers, who are doing the same job as their more experienced colleagues in the staff room, are being paid less money.Their colleagues in the staff room are being paid less for doing the same job. That is very unfair. It has been around too long and needs to be addressed. School principals say that it is nearly impossible to find a substitute teacher when the need arises. Will the Leader invite the Minister for Education and Skills to this House to outline how he intends to address this issue? It has reached a critical stage. We need to retain the teachers we have and to put packages in place to encourage the young teachers, who have emigrated for financial reasons, to come home.