Serious difficulties filling primary school posts - INTO

The President of the Irish National Teachers Association (INTO), Senator Joe O’Toole, today said that many school authorities are reporting very serious difficulties in filling primary school teaching posts.

"Yet again, the INTO Executive appeals to the Minister to take positive action on the issue of teacher supply. Surely it is obvious to the Minister that quality in education requires quality teachers," said Mr O’Toole.

"To provide high quality education we need to attract the best students to teacher education and maintain qualified teachers in the education system. The queues of students waiting to enter the training colleges prove that we have fulfilled the first criteria, however the Minister, despite repeated requests, continues to fail to deliver on the second," he said.

According to Mr O’Toole, "the solution is not difficult". "A multifaceted approach is needed involving a partnership with the College Authorities, the INTO and the Department of Education and Science.

"Firstly, we need to set definite targets for the supply of additional teachers over the next six years. Secondly, we need to look at ways capacity in the Colleges of Education can be increased.

"Thirdly, we need to adopt a more flexible approach to the recognition of teacher qualifications. Flexibility does not mean loss of quality. There are available sources of teaching personnel," he said.

The statement went on to call for the Government to make it easier for teachers qualified abroad to teach in Ireland through modifying the Irish language requirement. INTO says that this should include increasing the number of teaching posts outside the Gaeltachtaí for which the full Irish language qualification is not required.