The Government is looking at “all of the levers available” to it in the face of ongoing teacher shortages, the Minister for Education Norma Foley has said.
She said she was prepared to “look at everything being put on the table” but added there had to be an acknowledgment there were more than 74,000 teachers in the system, which was a “record high”.
Ms Foley was speaking to reporters on Wednesday, after the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) warned that as schools across the country reopen this week, “a severe crisis is threatening the future of primary and special education”.
“The ongoing teacher shortage has reached a critical level, leaving many schools, particularly in the Greater Dublin Area, unable to secure the staff necessary to educate their students,” the trade union said in a statement.
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The organisation said that “immediate intervention” was essential to prevent further disruption to the education system and called on the Government to convene an emergency meeting of stakeholders to develop solutions.
In response, Ms Foley said there were challenges and difficulties facing principals and boards of management currently.
She said the Government was engaging on an ongoing basis with “all of the stakeholders in education”.
The Fianna Fáil TD said a variety of measures had been introduced and that “we will introduce more”. Ms Foley pointed to the €2,000 bursary for those completing a masters in education, and a 20 per cent increase in places provided for teachers training in the area of education as well as “free upskilling courses” for particular subjects where there are challenges.
“We’re looking at all of the levers that are available to us, and we will look at more, as time goes on,” she said.
“I’m prepared to look at everything being put on the table, but I think in the round, we need to acknowledge as well that 74,000 teachers is a record high.”
When asked whether there should be a Dublin or city allowance for teachers based in the capital, Ms Foley said the Government was conscious of the geographic challenges across all sectors.
“For that reason, we’re seeing measures in terms of cost of living measures being introduced, in terms of the rental breaks that are being introduced and I’ve absolutely no doubt that further consideration will be given across Government in terms of those cost of living measures that can be introduced by a Budget,” she said.
However, the Kerry TD said that if a Dublin or city allowance was introduced, it would have to be done so across other sectors such as healthcare and retail “in the interest of fairness”.
“That would involve quite a body of work being done as well in advance of any kind of scheme being introduced,” she added.
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