Education Minister says 'everything is on the table' in effort to address severe teacher shortage

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation has called for Norma Foley to hold an 'emergency meeting of stakeholders' to create a short-term solution to assist principals recruit additional teaching staff

Education Minister Norma Foley says she does not “underestimate” the difficulties faced by schools in securing enough staff, as a teachers' union says the sector faces a “severe crisis” as classrooms reopen.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) has said the current shortage of teachers, particularly in the greater Dublin area, has reached a “critical level”, with some schools left without enough staff.

The union called for Ms Foley to hold an “emergency meeting of stakeholders” to create a short-term solution to assist principals recruit additional teaching staff.

Ms Foley said while there were now more than 74,000 teachers within the school system, she acknowledged principals faced challenges in securing staff.

“I don’t underestimate that there are challenges and I don’t underestimate the difficulty that that poses for school principals and boards of management,” Ms Foley said.

She added the Government was “engaging on an ongoing basis” with stakeholders within the education sector, while highlighting actions taken in recent years, including a €2,000 fee rebate for those taking a master's degree in education.

“We are looking at all the levers available to us and we will look at more,” she said.

Education Minister Norma Foley did not rule out the introduction of allowances for teachers living in more expensive areas.

While the INTO had sought this €2,000 rebate, the union’s general secretary John Boyle criticised the lack of a circular outlining the scheme.

“This delay and lack of urgency are unacceptable, highlighting the department’s failure to address the recruitment and retention crisis,” Mr Boyle said.

Asked directly if the Government would consider introducing allowances for teachers living in more expensive areas, like Dublin, Ms Foley did not rule it out.

“It is not as straightforward as it appears,” Ms Foley said, before adding “everything is always on the table”.

However, she said that cost-of-living pressures in cities were not unique to teaching.

“To be fair, we’re seeing challenges for people who work in retail, we’re seeing challenges for people who work in healthcare,” Ms Foley said.

“So what would be done in one sector would have to be done across all sectors in the interest of fairness there.”

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Alongside calling for an emergency stakeholder meeting, the INTO is asking Taoiseach Simon Harris to immediately establish a national commission that would be tasked with finding long-term solutions to the shortfall of teaching staff.

Mr Boyle urged principals to communicate directly with parents and guardians, to outline the difficulties in obtaining teaching staff.