New initiatives, including targeted bursaries for teachers and a universal teaching qualification, will have to be considered to resolve recruitment challenges faced by schools, particularly around Dublin, the Department of Education believes.
Briefing documents prepared by the department for new Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton on her appointment last month noted 1,228 unfilled positions in primary schools, 621 at second level and 60 in special education, according to previously unpublished figures.
Officials told Ms Naughton that although there were “more than adequate numbers of qualified teachers in the State”, there was an acute shortage, including substitutes, particularly in Dublin and surrounding counties.
They also said “there is a lack of teachers at post-primary with qualifications in some subjects (Stem, modern foreign languages, Irish, home economics and practical subjects)”.
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Officials said although new measures would have to be looked at to boost supply, the introduction of a special allowance for living in Dublin would lead to demands for a similar measure for staff across the public service.
The briefing documents maintained that as of last March, a record 79,225 teachers were employed between primary and secondary levels.
“Teacher supply has been impacted further due to the growing population, including increased immigration. The cost of living is also a factor (rent, cost and lack of housing) in some large urban areas.”
Officials said primary school enrolments were projected to decline until 2036, while at second level, it was expected numbers would peak in 2026/27 before easing back to current levels by 2031/32.
“Despite the projected enrolment decrease in primary, and post-primary, it is not expected to resolve the often-acute recruitment challenges faced by some schools, particularly in the Dublin commuter belt.
“Approximately 3,625 newly qualified teachers are registering with the Teaching Council annually, with a slight majority of primary teachers. The demand for additional post-primary teachers will continue for a number of years and further measures to increase the numbers available will need to be considered, such as new routes to teaching, a universal teaching qualification, conversion programmes and additional upskilling programmes, further targeted bursaries and sharing limited subject teaching resources between schools.”
Officials said that developing measures that adequately addressed these challenges was “hindered by the structure of the education system, and the often-specific nature of the teaching posts that are unfilled. For example: sharing resources between schools.”
The documents said the budget last year introduced a €2,000 annual bursary for student teachers in Stem fields (including science, maths, chemistry, physics, and engineering) during the final two years of their undergraduate teacher education, with a requirement to complete at least two years of post-qualification teaching in a recognised post-primary school.
Officials said upskilling schemes for French, computer science, as well as in politics and society, began in September 2025 and similar programmes were also now being considered in technology suite subjects.
The documents say there are now 127,000 people registered with the Teaching Council.
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“Despite an increase in population, there are more teachers for every pupil than ever. There has been significant increases on teaching posts, outpacing student population growth in both primary and post primary schools. Between 2018/19 and 2024/25, the number of teaching posts has increased by 11,752”.
The department said teaching continued “to be a desirable career path for many students”.
Meanwhile, the department said its payroll service facilitated salary and pension payments to 166,000 people. It said at the end of last year, overpayments of €6.8 million had been made to 3,550 people. It said it was seeking repayment and arrangements were put in place but this presented a challenge in cases where the individual was no longer employed by the department and had no pension entitlements.
