John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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313. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of teacher vacancies at both primary and secondary level, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36474/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government.The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In that regard, there are more than 3,700 individual employers (boards of management of primary schools and post-primary schools, as well as ETBs). My Department does not currently have data on the number of teacher vacancies at both primary and secondary level as schools are continuing to recruit. My Department intends to finalise an updated version of a technical report “Developing a Teacher Supply and Demand Model for Ireland” setting out the demand projections for teachers at both primary and post-primary over the coming years. There are now more teachers than ever working in the Irish education system. In March 2024 there were 74,145.9 FTE (full time equivalent) equating to 78,646 teachers employed.

There are less than 1% resignations in the Primary sector every year and 1.6% in Post Primary. The number of teachers who retired over the past number of years has varied, with 932 in 2013 and 1,074 in 2023. Measures introduced have led to

1. an increase of 20% in Initial Teacher Education graduates (student teachers) between 2018 and 2023, and a 29% increase in the number registered with the Teaching Council since 2017, and

2. a 16.7% increase in the number of teaching posts allocated to post-primary, and an increase of 13.3% allocated to primary between 2017/18 and 2023/24.

Budget 2024 introduced several measures reflecting this Government’s commitment to ongoing investment in the education system to address teacher supply issues. Key initiatives include:

1. a new bursary-type, fee refund scheme for teachers graduating with a PME (professional master of education) in 2024. This €2,000 payment will be made in 2025 to eligible primary and post-primary teachers. The purpose of this scheme is to encourage newly qualified teachers who have completed a PME in 2024 to take up teaching roles.

2. Expansion of upskilling programmes, free to teachers, aimed at increasing the number of qualified teachers in high-demand subjects and reducing out-of-field teaching. New programmes in Irish, French, politics & society, and computer science will complement existing programmes in maths, physics, and Spanish. Trinity College Dublin will deliver the new Irish upskilling programme for post-primary teachers starting in late 2024.

In addition to these recently introduced measures, as Minister I have developed further initiatives to address teacher supply challenges, including:

1. at primary level, 610 additional places on initial teacher education programmes were approved,

2. newly qualified teachers (NQTs) employed in primary schools can complete the Droichead process while employed on a Supply Panel or Principal Release Time Post,

3. increasing the number of student teachers who can provide substitute cover; over 3,700 were registered to substitute in June 2024, up from 2,700 that were registered in the previous school year,

4. increasing the pool of teachers available to undertake substitute work, through the continued suspension of the usual limits on career break and job-sharing schemes and the continuation of the teaching hours’ extension scheme in post-primary schools to 2024/25 school year,

5. encouraging retired teachers to work as substitute teachers; in the 2023/24 school year, over 1,700 retired teachers provided substitute cover, an increase of 12% on the previous year, and

6. the Teaching Transforms campaign continues to promote the teaching profession and encourage students to follow a career in teaching. Promotion campaigns have been developed to coincide with the CAO closing date and change of mind deadline in recent years.

Teaching is an attractive career choice:

1. Over 3,700 newly qualified teachers registered with the Teaching Council in 2023 with over 122,000 now on the register.

2. Analysis of CAO applications spanning from 2017 to 2024 indicates a sustained and robust demand for undergraduate teaching programmes. On average, 6% of first preference applications during the period from 2017 to 2024 were for either primary or post-primary teaching programmes.

3. The new pay deal will mean that teachers’ starting salary will increase to €46,000 rising to a maximum of €85,000 per year which compares well internationally.

Ireland’s education system is performing strongly, something that is supported by recent international testing. That is a tribute to the professionalism and dedication of our

teachers. We need to continue to support our schools and maintain the high standards that have helped get us to where we are.

The Department will continue to engage closely with education stakeholders to develop further innovative measures to address teacher supply issues.