Clare TD goes back to school to help struggling substitution cover
Cathal Crowe: 'I have been aware of the crisis in terms of substitute cover.' File picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins
A Fianna Fáil TD went back to class as a teacher “as a last resort” to help out a school struggling to source substitution cover.
Cathal Crowe, a former mayor of Clare, stepped in as a special education teacher (SET) at a school in his constituency last week to help out when it couldn’t find a substitute.
Mr Crowe spent 16 years teaching in Parteen National School before he was elected to the Dáil in 2020.
Schools across the country have been struggling with sourcing substitute teachers, with the issue particularly acute this year given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“I had been dabbling with the idea for a while,” Mr Crowe told the .
As most of his friends, as well as his wife and sister are currently working in schools, he is “fairly tuned” in to the issues, both good and bad.
“So I have been aware of the crisis in terms of substitute cover,” he said.
As a member of a WhatsApp group including 200 teachers and principals working in Clare, he could see “the messages fly over and back, looking for substitutes".
Mr Crowe said he agreed to provide cover on the basis that he was not paid, as he didn’t want to displace another teacher, and that he was being called in as a “last resort”.
He also rearranged his day, so that his constituency work took place in the evening.
He spent his day working on and jigsaws, long division, and reading comprehension with students. He plans to provide more substitute cover in the run-up to Christmas.
When asked if enough is being done to address the substitute teacher crisis, Mr Crowe said Norma Foley, the education minister, and his Fianna Fáil colleague have been “very good” on the issue.
“There is a national substitute panel of 380 teachers, and she has added 100 teachers to this.”
Ms Foley has also relaxed restrictions around retired teachers and teachers who had been on a career break, he said.
“But we will continue to see a bit of a squeeze in the coming weeks.”
One solution, which could be a “no-brainer”, is to allow student teachers to spend more time in classrooms, Mr Crowe said.
A graduate of Mary Immaculate College, Mr Crowe's final teaching practice in 2005 lasted two weeks, which has since increased to 14 weeks on-site in schools. During this time, they are not allowed in a classroom by themselves and must be supervised by a registered teacher.
This period should be pared back, he believes. “I think students find it onerous.”
Paying students and allowing them to work in schools would help to ease the burden currently on schools, he added. "During the first wave of Covid, we saw something similar happening with the trainee nurses."
