Number of unqualified teachers grows

THE number of unqualified teachers in primary schools continues to grow, despite government efforts to tackle the problem.

The Department of Education has 615 unqualified teachers on its payroll, Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe has confirmed.

This compares with 403 unqualified teachers in 2007, 291 in 2006, and 332 in 2005.

Mr O’Keeffe supplied the figures in response to Dáil questions from Labour’s Jack Wall.

The minister said his department had “no role” in the selection and appointment process in individual schools.

However, schools were obliged to recruit fully qualified teachers for any vacancy, even if it was a short term one, he stressed.

“The number of vacancies in primary schools varies throughout the school year, and are managed at local level by individual school boards of management,” said Mr O’Keeffe.

“Under the terms of the Education Act 1998, the board of management of a primary school is responsible for the recruitment, selection and appointment of all teachers to a school. Appointments are notified to my department by the board of management.

“Boards of management are obliged to recruit and employ fully qualified primary teachers for any vacancy in a school, regardless of the duration of the vacancy.”

Schools often have to resort to unqualified personnel, however, because of a shortage of qualified substitute teachers.

The 615 unqualified teachers represent just 2% of the total of 30,609 teachers working in primary schools.

But this still means that thousands of children are being taught by unqualified people — a situation for which the Government has been heavily criticised in the past.

Teachers’ unions have criticised the fact that people without qualifications are being allowed to take classes.

Fine Gael has accused the Government of allowing unqualified personnel to “masquerade” as qualified teachers.