The Minister for Education and Science, Ms Hanafin, has denied reports, supported by the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), that many newly-qualified primary teachers are struggling to find jobs. John Downes reports.
Speaking at the announcement of details of €82 million in priority funding for 10 third level capital development programmes, she said only 4 per cent of graduates from one of the main teacher training colleges, Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, described themselves as being without work.
Of 376 new graduates of the bachelor in education course at the college, 34 per cent say they are in permanent jobs, while a further 57 per cent are in long-term temporary teaching or substitute posts.
Ms Hanafin said there are approximately 700 unqualified teachers in schools. These are understood to be primarily meeting existing substitution needs. But she said her aim would be to ensure that no student would have to be taught by an unqualified teacher.
The INTO yesterday labelled the 4 per cent figure an "under-estimation of the real figure on any given day". This was in part because it related to students on the undergraduate course at the college, not postgraduate students who were finding it more difficult to obtain work.
And it warned that "significant numbers" of qualified teachers have not found employment this year, with many more unable to find regular employment.
Mr John Carr, general secretary of the INTO, said 57 per cent are in temporary or substitute positions. "Much of this work is short term and large numbers of these teachers are looking for regular work and regularly looking for any kind of work."
Speaking about the new capital building initiatives, which include projects in the teacher training colleges, Ms Hanafin said they were the "first key step" in unlocking public investment in the higher education system.
"The announcement of these projects marks the commencement of the Kelly report on the capital needs of the higher education sector," she said.
This found that 40 per cent of the building stock in colleges is more than 25 years old, and said some €1.9 billion was required over the next 10 years to meet the infrastructural needs of the sector.
"The projects on the list have been identified as being of a high national priority," Ms Hanafin said. "The unfreezing of the pause on capital investment in the sector is a critical first step."
The €82 million figure is money which the Department of Education and Science has or will have available as part of its capital envelope. But Ms Hanafin said she would be looking for more funding for such projects. These are estimated to cost €599 million between 2004 and 2008.