Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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280. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps she intends to take to ensure that substitute teachers are available for national schools in the Dublin area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60244/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware that primary schools are experiencing challenges in recruiting substitute teachers.

Newly qualified teachers (NQTs) represent an additional source of supply in 2022/23. Almost 1,900 primary NQTs have had their registrations finalised by the Teaching Council in 2022.

The Department of Education runs a comprehensive programme of work to support the supply of teachers at primary level and the Department engages closely with the school management bodies and other education stakeholders to inform this work.

Significant additional posts have been allocated to the primary substitute teacher supply panels in areas where significant challenges in sourcing substitution continue. This brings the total to 610 posts on 151 panels covering more than 2,840 schools, including the majority of schools in Dublin.

The supply panels work alongside the existing methods of sourcing substitute teachers and schools can also make local arrangements to have their own regular substitutes to call on if needed.

Sub Seeker a central portal for short-term substitute vacancies, was jointly developed by IPPN and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principal’s (NAPD) in accordance with my Department's Teacher Supply Action Plan and launched in December 2019.  The portal matches available primary and post-primary teachers with short-term substitute vacancies. Almost 12,000 teachers have registered with Sub Seeker to date.

A number of measures to enhance substitute teacher supply have also been put in place for the current school year.

Job sharing teachers may be employed to work in a substitute capacity during the period they are rostered off, in their own or in other schools

The limits on substitute work applying to teachers on career break have also been temporarily suspended for the 2022/23 school year.

Retired teachers who have kept their Teaching Council registration represent a source of substitute cover for schools. In that regard the Department agreed with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform a waiver of abatement for retired teachers returning to teach for up to 50 days in each of the three calendar years, 2021 to 2023 inclusive. In 2021, almost 800 retired primary teachers provided substitute cover in schools.

The Teaching Council made regulations allowing for the registration of 3rd and 4th year undergraduate student teachers under a new registration route, Route 5 (Student Teachers).  More than 2,100 student teachers have applied to date for registration under Route 5. Approximately 1,250 have registered and more than 900 applications are currently being processed.  Once registered with the Teaching Council, student teachers can be employed by a school to cover substitutable vacancies.

The various measures to support teacher supply are underpinned by the Teaching Transforms campaign, which promotes the teaching profession and encourages students to follow a career in teaching. The campaign uses digital, radio and video media, and is supported by a dedicated webpage on Gov.ie.

It is acknowledged that despite these important actions, which have helped to some extent, work remains to be done to address teacher supply challenges, particularly to ensure the availability of sufficient substitute teachers. The Department of Education will continue to work closely and intensively with stakeholders on this important matter.