Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 592: To ask the Minister for Education and Science, in view of the gender imbalance among the teaching profession, the new outreach measures she plans to introduce to encourage more males into the profession. [5696/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The decreasing numbers of males entering the teaching profession, is an issue of concern to me. 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 both men and women. Teaching is fulfilling work which makes a huge social contribution. The Government wants to attract and reward the best teachers. In addition to increasing teachers' salaries, we have also undertaken other initiatives to enhance the status of the profession. Not least of these is the establishment of the Teaching Council as a professional regulatory body.

I recently launched the report of the primary education committee, Males into Primary Teaching. The primary education committee was established in order to examine a range of issues regarding males entering primary teaching, and to make recommendations on short-term and long-term strategies to increase the numbers in this regard. The report draws on the professional insight of key experts in this area, as well as a number of relevant research studies. The report's findings will be of significant benefit in assisting the development of future policy in this important area.

One of the key recommendations in the committee's report is that a co-ordinated promotion campaign to encourage boys as well as girls to enter primary teaching should be undertaken. This promotion campaign commenced on 24 January and is ongoing. Other recommendations contained in the report are under consideration by my Department.