The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) is warning that the continuing teacher recruitment and retention crisis will see students miss out on subject options in the coming academic year.
The TUI has said that it is inexcusable that the Department of Education and Youth appears intent on trying to ‘ride out’ the ongoing crisis until student numbers fall at second level due to demographics.
The union is again calling on the Department to introduce key measures to tackle teacher shortages in our second level schools. Among these is increasing the teaching allocation to schools to so that teachers can be offered full jobs on initial appointment. According to a recent TUI survey, just 26% of respondents appointed since 2015 received a contract of full hours upon initial appointment.
Even more worryingly, the same survey showed that of those employed before 2015, 78% believed that that that they would not be able to afford to pursue the profession today given the scarcity of full jobs, the accommodation crisis and cost-of-living pressures.
The union will issue a briefing document on the crisis to politicians this week.
Just one out of four new second level teachers receives contract of full hours
‘In the middle of a teacher recruitment crisis, it is utterly unacceptable that just one out of every four recent entrants said in a recent survey that they received a contract of full hours when starting their teaching career,’ said TUI President Anthony Quinn today.
‘This is a significant problem at second level, where those commencing are forced to survive on mere fractions of jobs and often have to be subsidised by family, if they are fortunate enough to have this support.’
‘The cosmetic measures announced to date by the Department have fallen far short of what is required, and as a result students in many schools continue to have less access to the full range of subjects which should be available to them and are often taught a subject by a succession of teachers.’
‘It is abundantly clear to us that the Department is trying to ‘ride out’ the crisis until demographics change and student numbers at second level fall. This is denying a generation of students the full educational experience that they’re entitled to.’
The measures required to properly tackle the crisis
‘The TUI has made clear to the Department the measures that are required to effectively tackle the crisis and ensure that all students have access to the educational experience that they deserve and are entitled to.’
‘The housing and accommodation emergency applies to all of society but is also affecting schools' ability to recruit and retain staff, now not just in urban areas but in all educational settings across the country. This must be tackled on a national level. However, there are some effective separate measures that we believe would largely mitigate the recruitment and retention crisis in schools.’
- In the first instance, schools must be provided with greater teaching allocations to allow more full-time, permanent jobs from initial appointment. Our own research from a survey of our members carried out earlier this year shows that only 26% of respondents appointed since 2015 received a contract of full hours upon commencement, with just 11% offered a permanent position on appointment. So much for teaching being a ‘safe’ and ‘secure’ job.
- An enhanced teacher allocation would also allow students to have a wider range of subject choice at all levels as the current allocation model is a throwback to an era of austerity. Such a progressive move is also critically important in terms of the introduction of new subjects in the Senior Cycle redevelopment programme.
- Career structures must be enhanced to keep the job attractive and to boost retention. Posts of responsibility, which ensure the smooth running of schools and provide pastoral support for students, were cut during the last recession and have never been properly restored. Their loss has been keenly felt in school communities, increasing the workload of principals and deputy principals and reducing supports for students while eliminating promotional opportunities for teachers.
- Halving the duration of the two-year Professional Master of Education (PME) required to become a second level teacher would make the profession immediately and significantly more accessible to all in our society, particularly to those who cannot afford to pursue the profession. It is no longer acceptable that second-level teachers should have to complete a four-year degree followed by a two-year PME, being subsidised by family if they’re fortunate enough to have this support or else being saddled with significant debt before they even apply for an initial teaching job that is unlikely to be on a permanent or full-time basis.
- Currently, teachers returning from positions in private schools outside the EU are placed on the first point of the teachers’ salary scale here despite the significant and demonstrable experience attained in teaching diverse curricula abroad. This affects the overwhelming majority of those who may wish to return to Ireland from countries such as Dubai. In many cases, they will simply choose to continue to teach outside Ireland or, if they do return, work in other employments where their transferrable skills are better appreciated. Ultimately, it is students who will lose out.
- The reinstatement of allowances payable for SEN qualification, teaching through Irish and Island allowances (all abolished in 2012) would also help in the recruitment and retention of teachers in these areas
- Finally, the ever-increasing workload, particularly that of a bureaucratic nature, that continues to be a demoralising factor in the profession and sees many leave for other employment must be tackled. Increasingly, teachers are expected to do more and more with less and less.