Union calls for teacher-allocation increase for schools

The Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) has called on the Government and the Department of Education to increase schools’ allocation for teachers to allow for more full-time positions.

Latest figures from the education recruitment website educationposts.ie show there were 416 unfilled post-primary teaching posts advertised.

The bulk of vacancies relate to fixed-term teaching positions – typically year-long contracts – while smaller numbers relate to cover for maternity or parental leave, as well as special education teaching posts.

TUI president Liz Farrell told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland on Wednesday that schools all over the country will be scrambling to “rejig” timetables to facilitate as best they can the education of students.

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She called for an increase in the allocation for teachers immediately to give schools the flexibility to account for the additional numbers of students and to offer full-time jobs to teachers. “We’ve been calling for it for a number of years and we’re still here looking at this again at this time of year.

“We’ve known that the demographic is increasing and we have called repeatedly for a number of things ... the department needs to look at increasing the teaching allocation to schools to allow for more full-time jobs. A survey which we’ve carried out shows that less than one-third of teachers received a full contract on initial appointment.”

Ms Farrell pointed out that as the demographic increases the need for optional subjects increases as well. The retention of teachers in schools needs to be “boosted” by offering career structures and offering full hours, she said.

New teachers have completed a four-year degree and then a two-year masters in education that can cost up to €12,000, and then they go to schools and are offered “parts of jobs”, she said.

[ Hundreds of teaching posts unfilled a week before schools reopen ]

Returning to the previous system of a one-year postgraduate teaching qualification would release more teachers and lower the cost, making it more available to a wider socioeconomic group and potentially increasing diversity, Ms Farrell said, adding: “Because at the minute, teaching has become a very, very costly profession.

“What we’re talking about is not a sticking plaster any more. This is something that was projected since 2015. In 2018, the department set up the teacher-supply steering group, and we’re still not sitting members on that group.

“We see the reality on the ground. We’re seeing the practicality. We’re looking at the 400 jobs and education posts. We’re seeing that the vast majority of those in maths, Irish and English – core subjects.”

Minister for Education Norma Foley said recently there were difficulties recruiting staff across all sectors of the economy and there were record numbers of teaching posts created in the education sector.

“We’ve never had more teachers and we’ve never had more staff within the education sector, with more than 4,000 posts made available at both primary and post-primary,” she said.