Teacher career breaks could be suspended in move to solve staffing crisis

Minister for Education Norma Foley is due to update her Cabinet colleagues on a number of measures that she is considering to tackle the issue of staff shortages.

Education Minister Norma Foley is considering suspending career breaks for teachers as part of urgent measures to address staff shortages.

Primary schools across the country have reported they are struggling to find substitute cover and second level schools face challenges in finding qualified teachers in key subjects.

Ms Foley is attending an OECD meeting in Paris tomorrow and briefed Ministers on a number of options being considered by her Department to plug gaps in the staffing crisis at an incorporeal Cabinet meeting today.

Under existing rules, a teacher may take a career break for a year or more which can be extended, subject to an employer’s approval, for up to five years at any one time, or 10 years in the course of a teacher’s career.

In a memo going to Cabinet tomorrow, Ms Foley says her department will also re-evaluate the teacher supply consultative forum and see where it can be enhanced, and if there needs to be greater revaluation to make it more targeted and action focussed.

Where it needs increased supports and representation, the department will provide that and there will be increased consultation with the partners in education, including teacher unions, the memo says.

The memo outlines a number of measures that are being considered including fast-tracking the registration of teachers from abroad.

Substitution work

Also, the department is in contact with Initial Teacher Education providers, including Hibernia College, with a view to maximising the availability of their Professional Master of Education (PME) students to undertake substitution work for the remaining school year.

It’s understood there are around 800 second year Hibernia College postgraduate students that have completed their latest school placement block and are available to the school system for the coming weeks.

Teacher supply panels at primary level are currently undergoing a review regarding their usage and effectiveness and the Department has said this may lead to some modification from the current approach in terms of how panels are used and recruitment for the panels operates.

Another measure being considered by the department is to incentivise and support schools employing a teacher on less than full hours to use the teacher-sharing scheme as a means of filling such vacancies.

Around 65% of primary schools in Dublin and 27% of schools across the country nationwide have not been able to fill their staffing allocation this year, according to a recent survey by the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN).

A recent Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) survey found that 91% of post-primary schools experienced teacher recruitment difficulties in the past six months, while 61pc experienced teacher retention difficulties.

The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) hit out at the "lack of engagement and consultation" by the minister on the matter.

In a statement, the union said: "On behalf of our members, we have repeatedly requested an emergency meeting with the Department of Education to explore solutions to the ongoing teacher supply crisis in our primary and special schools. We have to date not received a single response to a formal request for a meeting made some 50 days ago.

"We have sought to be constructive in proposing workable short-term solutions to address the substitution crisis experienced over the winter.

"The cost-of-living crisis, an inability to access housing and significant rent increases have exacerbated the problems associated with teacher supply. The proposal to unilaterally amend a teachers’ terms and condition of employment, without any consultation with representative bodies, is nothing more than a distraction from the broader issues faced.

"We will be seeking an immediate meeting with the Department of Education and will ensure our members are kept updated."

The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) said, "The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) notes with dismay media reports this evening suggesting that the Minister for Education is considering the suspension of career breaks to tackle the teacher supply crisis.

"We believe that such a measure would make the profession less attractive and ultimately worsen the teacher recruitment and teacher crisis.

"It is also completely unacceptable that such a measure would be put forward without any consultation."