Ahead of the new school year, the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) has warned that the continuing teacher recruitment and retention crisis will restrict subject options available to students and could also threaten planned redevelopment at Senior Cycle.
The TUI has said that it is ‘completely unacceptable’ that the Department seems to be 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 of Education to introduce five key measures to tackle teacher shortages in our second level schools.
‘This crisis is worsening all the time, and while initially only a few subjects were affected, schools are now experiencing significant difficulty employing teachers across the full breadth of subjects,’ TUI General Secretary Michael Gillespie today said.
‘Reckless’ policy of inaction
‘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.’
‘We believe that the Department is trying to ‘ride out’ the crisis until demographics change and student numbers at second level fall. This is a reckless and deeply concerning policy and is denying a generation of students the full educational experience that they’re entitled to.’
Threat to Senior Cycle redevelopment
‘In addition, teacher shortages represent a clear threat to the current process of Senior Cycle redevelopment. Smaller class sizes are required to ensure that the type of modern, experiential learning envisaged by the redevelopment can take place and to ensure that student work on additional assessment components can be fully supported by teachers. How can change of this magnitude be properly implemented if schools continue to struggle to recruit and retain classroom teachers?’
Irish graduates valued elsewhere
‘We know from international colleagues that Ireland is far from unique in having a teacher recruitment and retention crisis. This means that other education systems will increasingly seek out our highly qualified graduates unless they are incentivised to stay here. Recent announcements and incentivisation schemes from the Department are totally inadequate in this regard. Also, we must better facilitate those Irish teachers working abroad who wish to return home by streamlining the process and eliminating bureaucratic challenges.’
Students must have access to high quality educational experience
‘In all fora, 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.’
‘While the accommodation emergency applies to all of society and must be tackled on a national level, there are some effective separate measures that we believe would largely eliminate the recruitment and retention crisis in schools.’
What needs to be done to tackle crisis?
- Increasing teaching allocations to schools to allow more full-time, permanent jobs from initial appointment. Only 35% of those recently appointed received a contract of full hours upon initial appointment, with just 12% offered a permanent position on appointment.
- Boosting retention by restoring career structures cut during last recession – particularly posts of responsibility. These ensure the smooth running of schools and also provide a critical pastoral framework to students. The loss of these positions has been keenly felt in school communities.
- Halving the duration of two-year Professional Master of Education (PME) required to become a second level teacher would make the profession significantly more accessible to all but particularly to those who cannot afford to pursue the profession.
- Eliminating the red tape that hinders Irish teachers working overseas in returning to take up positions in Ireland, including awarding full incremental credit for their service abroad.
- Tackling the ever-increasing workload, particularly that of a bureaucratic nature, that continues to be a demoralising factor, and one that sees many leave the profession.