Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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373. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures she is taking to encourage more people to become post primary teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9248/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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This Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience, with access to qualified and engaged teachers who are dedicated to supporting their learning. My Department regularly consults with key stakeholders to address critical issues like teacher supply. Further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce are being considered.

As with other sectors, recruitment challenges exist in some schools. To address teacher supply issues, The Government has implemented several measures that have led to:

• an increase of 20% in Initial Teacher Education graduates (student teachers) between 2018 and 2023, and a 30% increase in the number registered with the Teaching Council since 2017, and
• Between 2018 and 2024 there has been a significant increase of 6,006 (17.42%) post-primary allocated teaching posts.

Recent Budget measures introduced reflect the commitment to ongoing investment in the education system to address teacher supply issues and included:

• a bursary announced in Budget 2025 for student teachers to increase the number of qualified STEM (including science, maths, chemistry, physics, engineering) teachers in post-primary schools. The bursary, a €2k payment each year for the final two years of their undergraduate initial teacher education programme, is contingent on a commitment to complete a minimum 2 year’s post-qualification teaching service in a recognised post primary school.
• Budget 2024 introduced a €2,000 bursary-style fee refund for teachers graduating with a Professional Master of Education (PME) in 2024. This payment, to be made in 2025, aims to encourage newly qualified teachers including post-primary teachers to take up teaching roles. A circular issued in September from my department setting out the eligibility criteria and a portal opened for applications at the end of January this year.
• Budget 2024 also included the expansion of upskilling programmes in post-primary, 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 commence in 2025 and complement existing programmes in maths, physics, and Spanish. Trinity College Dublin will deliver the new Irish upskilling programme for post-primary.
• In addition, a project, being undertaken by UNESCO, supported by the EU Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support, began in October, focusing on strategic workforce planning for teachers in Ireland. UNESCO will engage with stakeholders over the two years of the project to develop recommendations for a strategic workforce plan for teachers.
• 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.

• With 3,700 newly qualified teachers registered with the Teaching Council in 2024 and over 126,000 now on the register.
• 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.
• 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.

I am considering further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce and ensure that schools have the support needed to provide an excellent education for every student.