Reforming teacher training could see an extra 2,400 teachers in the system within a year

Liz Farrell, president and Michael Gillespie, general secretary at the TUI conference at the Clayton Silversprings hotel, Cork. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

More than 2,400 teachers could be brought into the education system in a year if the Government reformed the way they are trained, according to the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI). 

The influx could happen if the current two-year Postgraduate Masters in Education (PME) qualification course for secondary teaching was cut again to one year.

The PME replaced the traditional Hdip in recent years. If it was adapted, the TUI estimates that it could see 1,500 post-primary school teachers coming on stream a year earlier.

Figures from the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) also show there are 917 annual PME graduates, almost 700 of whom are from the private Hibernia College. 

Speaking at Tuesday's TUI annual congress in Cork City, the union's education research officer David Duffy said: “This reform could be done very quickly if Minister [Norma] Foley was behind it. It would be a very significant and very welcome reform.

While trainee teachers would certainly benefit, parents of children would notice very quickly the impact of such a reform.

"At the very least they will notice fewer classrooms with no teachers, and this move could add an extra two teachers to every post-primary school in Ireland.”

Last October, key findings of a TUI survey of almost 100 second-level schools found that 91% of schools were experiencing problems trying to recruit teachers.

Some 61% of schools surveyed said they were having problems hanging on to the teachers they had. 

Response from education minister

Education Minister Norma Foley confirmed on Tuesday there are no plans currently to reduce the PME. 

“I'm very conscious that more and more is being asked of teachers today," she said. "More and more is expected of them.

“The curriculum is consistently being added to, and there is an enormous demand being placed on the shoulders of teachers, so we need to have a system that will ensure that they are properly trained and prepared for the increase in demand in terms of curriculum.

“One of the greatest strengths that we have in this country is that we do have very high-calibre teachers, and to do that we need to ensure that they are sufficiently and suitably trained to achieve that. 

In that respect, I think the two years does ensure that we have very rounded, inclusive, and up-to-the-minute experience of demand teaching today.” 

Ms Foley said that “more is being asked” of teachers, and the sector requires teachers who are “well-rounded, well-skilled, well-prepared for the challenges of the 21st century”. 

Education Minister Norma Foley speaking to delegates at the Irish National Teachers' Organisation annual congress in Killarney. Picture: Moya Nolan

She maintained that the two-year length of the course “is important” to allow students the time to develop those skills.

She said that she would keep the issue under review, but “it is important that they [students] do have the opportunity over two years”.

“On the issue of cost, anything we can do to reduce the cost in terms of the two years or in terms of other education costs, I would hugely support that," she added.

“Everything is a matter of budgetary consideration. There are many things I would like to do in education, but there is a budgetary consideration."

She said that teaching remains a “very attractive and stable” career.

“Between last year and this year, there has been more than a 20% increase in terms of young people choosing the teaching profession through the CAO system. 

I think that speaks volumes."

She said that “great work” had been done under the Building Momentum Forum for teachers and pay parity.

“In the last couple of years we’ve seen a substantial increase in pay for teachers, between 8.5% and 10%. Starting pay now for young teachers is around €42,000.

“But [...] the education sector and other sectors know what it is to face the cost-of-living challenges that we face today.”