More teachers required

The demand for primary school teachers is exemplified by a typical day in the Irish National Teachers Organisation's head office, with more than 20 schools in the Dublin area looking for a substitute teacher and only three qualified teachers available. Meanwhile, the numbers applying for permanent posts are dwindling, according to Senator Joe O'Toole, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation.

The intake into the teacher training colleges has been increased to 600 this year, up 100 on last year. A graduate "crash" course, running from January 1997 to June 1998 will produce a further 150 qualified primary teachers. But, Senator Joe O'Toole, who has consistently called for increased intake into teacher training colleges, says that it may be five years before the demand and supply situation is brought into balance.

"There will be continuous employment available for the next few years," he says. As to the much-vaunted demographic decline, the INTO has carried out a survey of 13 maternity hospitals which shows 8,434 births over the period April to June 1996 and 8,986 births over the corresponding period in 1997. This represents an increase of 6.5 per cent. Births in 1996 total 50,358 compared to 47,929 in 1994, according to INTO figures.

Senator O'Toole says that the increase in births over the past three years means that the demographic dividend ends in 1999. At that time we will still have among the largest classes in Europe, he adds.

At second level, the intake into the Higher Diploma course has remained steady at 800 for the past four years. The latest Higher Education Authority graduate survey (a snapshot of 1995 graduates in April 1996) shows 59 per cent of respondents in part-time, temporary or substitute employment with 6 per cent in permanent teaching posts.

While the majority of primary teachers will also begin work in temporary or substitute positions, they usually secure permanent positions in a reasonable time span. The long-term employment situation for HDip graduates is causing concern. A HEA review committee has been put in place to find out how many of these graduates eventually obtained permanent positions and how long this process takes. The committee has not yet reported but it is expected that the intake into HDip programmes will remain at around 800 students.

In some subjects, such as home economics, art and design, and woodwork, it is possible to do a primary degree which provides concurrent teacher training. Graduates of these courses fared better with 14 per cent getting permanent whole-time jobs in Ireland and a further 74 per cent finding part-time substitute or temporary work. The Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland, which represents 15,500 secondary teachers, argues that Irish post-primary schools need greater, rather than less, availability of qualified teachers and has made numerous submissions to the Department of Education concerning staffing arrangements for post-primary schools.

In its most recent submission to the department, the ASTI notes that 77 per cent of students who enter second-level education now complete the senior cycle. The Government's target policy is that, by the end of the decade, at least 90 per cent of the 16 to 18year old age group will complete senior cycle education. The White Paper on Education proposes that the school-leaving age be raised to 16. The union also points out that reducing the pupil teacher ratio from 19:1 to 17:1 in secondary schools would require an additional 1,200 teachers.

Mr Gerry Fitzpatrick, press officer with the Teachers Union of Ireland, which represents 8,500 teachers in vocational, community and comprehensive schools and colleges, notes that the battle to convert part-time and temporary posts into permanent ones has largely been won, with up 95 per cent permanent posts in VEC schools.

Similar negotiations in the non-university third-level sector, where the TUI represents the interests of 2,750 teachers and lecturers, are ongoing. It is expected that a substantial number of permanent positions will also be agreed there.

Total student numbers in State-funded third-level colleges have risen from 26,762 in 1992 to about 33,750 in 1997. However, Mr Daltun O'Ceallaigh, general secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers, says that adequate staffing levels have not necessarily followed. But there is some growth in numbers employed at third-level.

Professor Frank Imbusch, vice-president at the University of Galway, says that the college is one of the largest employers in the west, with 1,083 staff. There were 22 new academic appointments last year and 15 replacement appointments. As the number of available 17to 21-year-olds drops off, Professor Imbusch says they will be replaced by mature students.

At UCD, there were 2,999 academic staff and 1,065 non-academic staff employed in 1996/'97 compared to 1,909 academic staff and 1,230 non-academic staff, 10 years previously. Students numbers have risen from 10,684 to more than 17,000 in the same period.

A growing area of employment in universities is in the research sector. For instance, of the 1,700 employees in UCC (1995/'96), 350 people are supported directly by research contracts, an increase of 60 on the previous year.