Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 108: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the ratio of male to female primary school teachers at entry level to the teaching profession; the way in which she will tackle the growing gender gap in teaching at primary level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12950/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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According to my Department's records, in the current school year 144 male teachers have been appointed for the first time as permanent or temporary qualified teachers at primary level. The equivalent figure for female teachers is 1,213. The female to male ratio is, therefore, in the order of 9:1. The relatively low number of males in the teaching force is a feature common to all OECD countries.

It is important to attract more men into teaching for a number of reasons, not least of which is the positive role models that teachers provide in children's lives and the desirability of having both male and female role models in our schools. I genuinely believe that teaching should be seen as an attractive profession for the best candidates of both genders. Teaching is fulfilling work which makes a huge social contribution.

With the increases in teachers' salaries under partnership agreements and benchmarking in recent years, it is also now a well paid job. The average salary for a teacher is now €50,000, an increase of approximately 43% on the 1997 figure. This compares favourably with an average industrial wage of about €29,000 per annum. The pension and holiday entitlements of teachers also heighten the attractiveness of the profession. I also genuinely believe that teachers are held in high regard in this country and deservedly so.

The Government wants to attract and reward the best teachers. In addition to increasing teachers' salaries, we have undertaken other initiatives to enhance the status of the profession, not least of which is the establishment of the Teaching Council as a professional regulatory body. However, a particular focused effort must be made to encourage more men to become teachers, particularly at primary level. A report on attracting more men into primary teaching is currently being compiled by a committee comprising representatives of the colleges of education, the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, the INTO and officials of my Department.

The main objective of this committee is to make recommendations on strategies and initiatives to increase the number of males entering primary teaching. It is expected that the committee will make recommendations in respect of both short-term and long-term strategies. The work of the committee is almost complete and I understand I can expect to receive its report within a few weeks.