Up to 722 unqualified people teach in schools

Up to 722 people unqualified to teach worked in primary schools for at least a week in the past school year, despite efforts to ensure unemployed teachers are given work.

But the Department of Education has no idea of the real numbers because it does not require schools to notify it where an unqualified person is employed.

From early in the new school year, it should be almost impossible for teaching work to be given to unqualified people as only those registered with the Teaching Council will be paid by the department.

Figures given to the Irish Examiner show that 722 people who were not registered were employed in primary schools for five days or more between September and the end of March. They could include qualified teachers who were not registered with the council.

Among them are 186 people given at least nine weeks’ teaching work, at the same time that up to 8,000 teachers are on the dole and hundreds more have emigrated.

A breakdown of unregistered people given teaching work at second level is unavailable.

Since last summer schools have been required to ensure that where a qualified teacher cannot be found to fill substitution or other vacancies, priority be given to retired teachers before bringing in someone who is unqualified, and then only for very short periods.

But a department review in 103 primary and second-level schools found that unqualified people were given almost twice as much work as retired teachers.

While the vast majority of appointments up to the end of February involved qualified teachers, 24 of the 707 appointments related to unregistered and unqualified people. This compares to 14 appointments of retired teachers to cover short-term work.

This could be less than 24 unqualified people given more than one short-term stint, but one person was employed by a second-level school for at least 24 weeks, effectively the entire school year to the end of February.

The Joint Managerial Body which represents the boards of almost 400 secondary schools, said it always wants a suitably qualified teacher in classrooms.

“There are particular problems finding Irish teachers, and also with French, German, and biology, which could cause difficulties for schools in the autumn under the new regulations,” said general secretary Ferdia Kelly.

“But where schools have nobody available, rather than leave a subject untaught, they have brought in people who might not have a teaching qualification but who have the subject to degree level.”

A spokesperson for the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation said instead of partial information, the department should publish a detailed report on appointments.