3,105 new teachers added to national register but permanent positions 'miniscule, if any'

Unions have said the teacher supply crisis is "at its worst" despite the Teaching Council saying it has welcomed 3,105 newly qualified professionals onto the National Register of Teachers.

The council said the addition to the register comes at a "very important time" when the demand for qualified teachers has "intensified”. It also said the register has grown each year since 2006 and is currently at its highest level in the history of the State.

However, according to the General Secretary of the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), Kieran Christie, "while there are more than enough teachers registered in Ireland to meet the current demand, the teacher supply crisis is at its worst".

"This is because many teachers are choosing to teach abroad or embark on other careers," he said.

To ensure that teaching in Ireland is perceived as an attractive career, the ASTI said permanent teaching posts must be introduced instead of short-term and part-time posts.

"Regrettably, the percentage of newly qualified teachers being offered permanent positions is miniscule if any at all," he said.

Earlier this month, the Irish Examiner reported that just over 12% of the more than 1,100 job posts for teachers are permanent positions.

On August 15, just 16 out of 481 available roles in secondary schools were labelled as permanent, while there were 121 permanent positions out of 629 unfilled posts available in primary schools.

The majority of the more than 1,100 unfilled posts advertised on Education Posts were fixed-term positions, usually lasting just one school year.

Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) general secretary John Boyle said "it is disconcerting that some school positions might remain unfilled after the commencement of the school year."

"Government must commit to making primary teaching in this country a more attractive career option for graduates and the many fully qualified teachers who are not currently working in schools in Ireland," he said.