Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

57. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her current and future actions to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis in primary and secondary schools in the wake of Ireland’s annual teacher conferences which took place recently. [16490/24]

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister the measures she is taking to reduce the teacher shortage crisis that we are experiencing in primary and secondary schools.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We are on a roll of congratulations, so I want to congratulate the Deputy on his recent marriage. I wish him well.

Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a key priority area of action for the Government. In budget 2024, a variety of commitments have been given, which includes an introduction, as I outlined previously, of a professional master of education incentive scheme for all newly qualified teachers graduating in 2024. Eligible teachers can receive an incentive payment of up to €2,000. There is expansion of upskilling programmes, free to teachers with no charge, aimed at increasing the number of qualified teachers in high-demand subjects and reducing out-of-field teaching.

New programmes include Irish, French, politics and society and computer science. These complement the existing upskilling programmes in maths, physics and Spanish. Trinity College Dublin will deliver a new Irish upskilling programme for post-primary teachers starting in late 2024, available at no cost to eligible teachers. There is provision of an additional 1,000 posts of responsibility in the school system for the 2024-25 school year, recognising the vital role of school leaders in enhancing educational outcomes by fostering a positive school environment and empowering educators and learners within their communities.

In addition to these recently introduced measures, as Minister, I have also worked with other stakeholders to introduce other additional measures, including approving 610 extra places on initial teacher education programmes for primary level, thereby ensuring flexibility in initial teacher education programmes to allow student teachers to support schools, with over 2,700 registered under route 5 with the Teaching Council of Ireland in 2023. Measures also include continuation of primary supply panels, encouraging retired teachers to make themselves available for substitute cover, with a 49% increase in that area, as I said earlier, reduction of restrictions on job-sharing for teachers and those on career breaks with regard to making themselves available as substitutes, and enabling post-primary teachers to provide up to 35 additional hours of substitute cover per term in their qualified subject. These measures contribute to the lowest ever teacher allocation ratio in primary schools, with a 10% reduction in the average student:teacher ratio between 2017 and 2023.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her kind words and subsequently the contribution that she made to the debate. I do not think we can step away from the fact that we have a crisis in our schools that is once again impacting the most vulnerable cohorts of students. If schools are short of teachers, it means that there is a shortage in special educational needs allocation. It means that students in DEIS schools who need much more intensive teaching are left without. This is an issue that has been going on for the last two and a half or three years. Any number of solutions have been suggested. I might run through some of them and we can talk them through. The Minister mentioned the €2,000 being given to people in the professional master of education-----

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The PME.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The PME. From the conversations I have had with people who want to engage in the profession, that is just not enough. One of the prohibitive factors is the time it takes to do the PME. It is two years. In the North, it is only one year and costs substantially less. Two years means that a person is without an income. Permanent contracts, proper investment in special educational needs and reducing class sizes in order that people are teaching in an environment that is safe and constructive to learn and teach in, bringing in a substitute panel for secondary education, addressing the deplorable pay-----

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is way over time. He will get a chance to come back in.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. With regard to the PME, the €2,000 is a significant start and gesture.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

It is.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that we would all want it to be greater. It is a very good indication of what we had available to us that we would acknowledge the challenges that people face and that that bursary would be made available. On the support for special educational needs, 27% of the entire budget of the Department is spent on special education. That is as it should be. It is more than €2.7 billion. It is right and proper. We have more than 40,000 professionals working in that area. We have 3,000 special classes, two thirds of which were delivered under this Government. We have seven new special schools in place. The Deputy speaks about having the right facilities in which to work and the right environment in which to learn. All of them have that, notwithstanding the wider building provision in the context of the €1 billion available year on year over the past four years.

Regarding pay, I acknowledge that there were significant improvements under Building Momentum. The new pay agreement will mean that the rate of pay at the top of the scheme will be €85,000 and that the starting rate of pay for a new teacher when coming to a school will be €46,000.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

We still have a scenario where a teacher will need to do three years in order to get a permanent contract. You cannot expect people to move job or to move into the teaching profession if they know there will be instability in their life for three years. Permanent contracts are going to be essential. The €2,000 package for the PME is very welcome. However, in Dublin and other places, that is just a little over one month's rent for most people. We really have to take the course duration down to a year.

I also want to talk about secondments and where these are taking people professionally, or any number of other innovations that have been applied. I understand the Minister has made some progress on the reduction of class sizes, but that is starting from a poor base. It also comes down to the fact that regardless of the public service agreement, the teaching profession is like nursing, since we have created an environment in this city and country where the money you are getting paid simply does not cover your rent and bills. Unless we address that, we will be here year in, year out.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

On permanent contracts, there is a pathway forward. In fact, after two years, people are into permanent contracts, or what are called contracts of indefinite duration. There is a clear pathway.

On costs, I appreciate the €2,000 for the professional master of education is a start. The additional courses like upskilling courses are across a wide variety of different subject areas and are also free of charge. There is no cost to any teacher who would like to step forward.

In the context of career breaks, secondments or anything of that nature, people often choose for a variety of reasons, such as family reasons or illness, to take those measures. Regarding reduction of class size, over three budgets, we have reduced the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level to an historic low of 23:1. That was never before done over three consecutive budgets.

Equally, in special education we now have class sizes that are one teacher to six students and two SNAs in the classroom. This is all positive but it requires additional staff.