Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)
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338. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that a school (details supplied) has been forced to drop science as a mandatory subject for first year students due to a shortage of teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [65138/25]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, 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.

The recruitment and appointment of teachers is managed by individual school authorities, of which there are over 3,700. While most teaching positions are filled, some schools face significant recruitment challenges. Payroll data from March 2025 shows the number of unfilled teaching posts remains low. Analysis of the teacher payroll shows 3.1% (1,228 posts) of primary allocations and 1.8% of allocations (621 posts) in post-primary were unutilised. This relatively low vacancy rate suggests that the vast majority of schools are well-staffed and able to meet the needs of their students.

Officials of my Department are aware that following a review of the subjects offered by the school referred to in the Deputy’s question, science is no longer compulsory for first year students. My Department has been informed that that all those first year students who expressed an interest in studying science were provided with an opportunity to study the subject. Science remains available as an option to incoming students.

My Department has introduced a range of measures to address teacher supply including in specific subject areas. Earlier this year, a measure was announced to enable teachers gain permanent roles more quickly and more recently regulations were approved to allow teachers who qualified overseas to undertake their induction in the State.

Measures have been introduced to enhance the recruitment of STEM teachers including in science subjects. In recent budgets a STEM bursary to increase the number of STEM teachers available to post-primary schools, and an expansion of upskilling programmes have been introduced. Both measures include science subjects.

Restrictions on jobsharers and those on a career break from working as substitutes in schools have been eased. Under the Teaching Hours Extension Scheme post-primary teachers can provide up to 35 additional hours of substitute cover per term including in science. All these substitution measures have been extended to the current school year.

The profession is attractive, with strong demand for teacher education programmes, over 3,600 newly qualified teachers registered with the Teaching Council and over 127,000 teachers on the Teaching Council register in 2025. Salaries are competitive, starting at €44,879 (primary) and €46,448 (post-primary) and rising to €85,000 under the current pay deal.

Around 6% of first-choice CAO applications from 2017–2024 were for teaching, showing steady demand. In 2025, first preferences rose by 9% for primary and 5% for post-primary teaching. 85% of newly appointed primary teachers in 2024/25 are on full-time, mostly fixed-term contracts. Over 75% of new post-primary teachers are employed full-time. 93% of teachers with 5+ years’ experience hold permanent full-time or pro-rata contracts.

My Department frequently consults and engages closely with stakeholders on teacher supply issues through industrial relations forums, sectoral meetings, and direct discussions. Further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce will be considered to ensure that schools have the support needed to provide an excellent education for every student.