Written answers
Tuesday, 4 November 2025
Department of Education and Skills
School Staff
Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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52. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has carried out an assessment of the impact the current teacher shortages are having on students, particularly in rural schools and DEIS areas; and the measures which are being taken to recruit and retain teachers. [59600/25]
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.
Over 97%, of allocated teaching posts are filled, and the number of unfilled allocated posts in DEIS and rural schools is comparable to that in all schools.
As with other sectors of the economy, recruitment challenges exist. To address these, several targeted measures have been implemented that have led to:
- an increase of 20% in Initial Teacher Education graduates between 2018 and 2023, an over 30% increase in the number of teachers registered with the Teaching Council between 2017 and 2025, and an increase in allocated teaching posts of 11,752 between 2018/19 and 2024/25.
The teaching profession is highly attractive, with strong demand for teacher education programmes with 3,600 newly qualified teachers registered in 2025 and competitive salaries.
To address the acute challenges that exist in some schools, I recently announced that teachers will be able to gain permanent roles more quickly and also approved regulations to allowteachers who qualified overseasto undertake theirinduction in the State.
Additionally, my Department is about to launch a STEM bursary scheme, is considering a further expansion of upskilling programmes, will provide over 1,000 additional teaching posts and is developing a strategic workforce plan for schools. These measures, reflect my commitment to developing our education system.I am considering further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce that will ensure that schools have the support needed to provide an excellent education for every student.
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