Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1240. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being taken to address the shortage of qualified Irish-language teachers affecting Gaeltacht and Irish language schools. [43705/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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.

Like many sectors, recruitment challenges exist in the education sector, for teachers including Irish language teachers. While most teaching positions are filled, some schools face significant recruitment challenges. A range of measures have been introduced to improve the number of Irish Language teachers available to schools.

The Programme for Government includes a commitment to increase dedicated Irish-medium teacher training programmes, and I am delighted that progress has already been made in this area.? Marino Institute of Education have recently announced the establishment of an Irish-medium pathway in their Professional Master of Education (PME) primary teaching programme. Supports for the pathway are being provided in the form of teacher secondments and student bursaries by my Department and by An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG).

Additionally, a number of teacher education actions are currently funded by my Department under the Policy on Gaeltacht Education to increase the supply of teachers available to teach effectively through the medium of Irish. This includes:

• Funding is provided for an Irish-medium B.Ed. for primary teachers, which is delivered by Marino Institute of Education.
• Funding is also provided for an M.Ed. in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht Education for practicing teachers and school leaders and this programme is currently being delivered by Trinity College Dublin. 48 students enrolled on this programme for the 2024/25 academic year, and
• Two seconded teachers and COGG bursaries have also been provided to support the Máistir Gairmiúil san Oideachas (Irish-medium PME for post-primary teachers) in the University of Galway since 2017. 55 students enrolled on this programme for the 2024/25 academic year.

Recent Budget measures introduced reflect the commitment to ongoing investment in the education system including in the upskilling of post-primary teachers to address teacher supply issues. Key initiatives include:

the expansion of upskilling programmes in Budget 2024, 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 are delivering the new Irish upskilling programme for post-primary which commenced in January this year.

• Budget 2024 introduced a €2,000 bursary-style fee refund for teachers graduating with a PME in 2024. This payment, to be made in 2025, aims to encourage newly qualified primary and post-primary teachers to take up teaching roles.

• 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.