Written answers

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Department of Education and Skills

Teacher Recruitment

Photo of Terence FlanaganTerence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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306. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his assessment of the number of persons qualifying as teachers compared to the number of teaching jobs available (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9540/14]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Teaching resources are allocated to schools on a school year basis. Unlike most other areas of the public service teaching vacancies are being filled in accordance with published Department criteria. The Government has prioritised, as best as possible, the filling of front-line posts in the Education sector within the constraints of the Employment Control Framework. For example, schools are permitted to fill teaching vacancies that arise within their approved staffing allocations.

The redeployment of surplus permanent teachers is the first mechanism to fill teaching posts in schools. This is key to the ability of my Department to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. Thereafter, teaching posts are filled in the normal manner through the recruitment process at individual school level.

I acknowledge that the various budget measures that have taken place in recent years can limit the employment opportunities for newly qualified teachers. A number of measures have been taken to alleviate difficulties for newly qualified teachers. My Department has directed managerial authorities of schools to recruit unemployed teachers ahead of retired ones,and the JobBridge National Internship Scheme can provide newly qualified teachers with opportunities to gain experience and to undertake the necessary teaching duties to complete the process of probation.

The Teaching Council is the body with statutory responsibility for the procedures and criteria for the probation of teachers including periods of probation. In recent years, the minimum service requirement for probation purposes has been decreased from 170 days to 100 days. A newly qualified teacher who may not be able to complete the probationary requirements within the period specified by the Teaching Council may apply to the Council for an extension to the period allowed.

My Department is aware of the rising enrolments in schools both at Primary and Post Primary level and is forecasting an increase of more than 45,000 primary pupils and 25,000 post primary pupils by the start of the 2017 school year. I have already announced that 20 new primary and 20 post primary schools are to be built to meet those rising enrolments.

Alongside the building of infrastructure, we are also preparing for the need to have more teachers in the system. I have already asked the Teaching Council, the professional body for teachers, for advice on the matter of teacher supply and demand. The Council is currently preparing that advice with the overall goal of ensuring that there is timely information to inform the system generally and planning in my Department. I expect to receive an initial report from the Teaching Council later in the year.

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