Housing and permanent posts needed to 'lure' teachers back to Ireland

The three teaching unions have called for radical action to 'lure' teachers who have gone abroad to work to return to Ireland. Pi

The general secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), Kieran Christie has called for a range of incentives to encourage teachers to return to work in Ireland including housing in key pressure zones.

Mr Christie said that measures such as permanent posts, a reduction in red tape and the shortening of the length of time required to qualify as a teacher were required. At present “you could become a rocket scientist faster” he said.

Initiatives with regard to accommodation for key workers such as doctors, nurses and teachers should also be considered, he urged. 

It was “unsustainable” to expect key workers to travel up to 70 miles to work. “Something will have to give” he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland

Mr Christie expressed disappointment at the “stale initiatives” proposed by Department of Education officials at a meeting this week. There was a “lack of ambition” on the part of the minister, he said.

Recruitment problems

Nine out of 10 principals were reporting recruitment problems and some schools were dropping subjects as a result. Thousands of teachers had gone abroad in recent years – why did they go and how could they be “lured” back, he asked.

The unequal pay issue had been “somewhat” alleviated, but permanent posts had to be available, nobody was going to come back to a part time job. There also needed to be a root and branch rebuilding of the system for promotions within the system.

There was “an awful lot of red tape” for teachers to re-register with the Teachers Council, said Mr Christie. There were teachers from other countries who could make a real contribution, but they had to wait “months and months” to wade through the red tape.

The two years Masters in Education programme should be reduced to one year, he said. A two year course was a luxury that the country could not afford. On top of a four-year undergraduate degree it meant six years in education which was almost as much it took for a doctor to qualify.

“This needs to be dealt with at Government level. It needs a multi-faceted approach.”

It emerged this month that 60% of places on supply panels, set up to help primary schools with a supply of substitute teachers in their local area, in Dublin are vacant, with many schools across the country struggling to recruit staff.

Minister for Education Norma Foley told the Dáil on Wednesday that she is “very aware” schools are currently experiencing challenges. 

On Wednesday, the Consultative Forum on Teacher Supply, a group set up almost five years ago to help increase the number of appropriately qualified teachers in Ireland, met.

Following the meeting, the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), and the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) called on the Department of Education to address the root causes behind the current staffing challenges.

Emergency levels

In a statement, the INTO said: "Teacher shortages have now reached emergency levels and it is time for an emergency taskforce to be established to identify tangible solutions to the problem we now face, inclusive of the voices of workers.” 

INTO general secretary John Boyle said the cost-of-living crisis, housing and significant rent increases have exacerbated recruitment problems.  "Alongside these societal challenges, the Department of Education must take responsibility for failing to increase the annual intake to initial teacher education courses, thereby contributing to the staffing challenges facing our schools."

TUI General Secretary Michael Gillespie said that one "clear concrete measure" that could be taken by the Department, includes giving second-level teachers permanent whole time jobs from when they commence their careers.

Education Minister Norma Foley.

In response to a question from Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, Ms Foley confirmed that she has asked officials to fully review the operation of supply panels, and to consider if they could be made more effective.