School principals are struggling to fill thousands of teaching vacancies in the State, but they cannot hire teachers from Northern Ireland because of Irish-language restrictions, the INTO claimed yesterday.
As the school year begins principals are reporting difficulties in filling teaching posts in primary schools, said the union. There are more than 1,000 untrained teachers in the system.
"All this while figures issued from Northern Ireland reveal that 74 per cent of teaching graduates cannot get permanent jobs. So while we have a chronic shortage of teachers in the Republic, we have an excess of trained teachers in Northern Ireland," said the INTO general secretary, Senator Joe O'Toole.
"Surely it is obvious to the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, that quality in education requires quality teachers. 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 criterion. However, the Minister, despite repeated requests, continues to fail to deliver on the second," he added.
He said a multifaceted approach was needed involving a partnership with the college authorities, the INTO and the Department of Education. Senator O'Toole outlined a three-point plan to tackle the crisis:
Definite targets for the supply of additional teachers over the next six years.
A fresh examination of how capacity in the colleges of education could be increased.
A more flexible approach to the recognition of teacher qualifications, including the Irish language qualification, the Scrudu Cailiochta sa Ghaeilge.
Last night Senator O'Toole asked: "Does every teacher need the same level of proficiency in Irish?"
The INTO wants new conversion courses for those qualified post-primary teachers in the primary system and for Montessori graduates with the BA in Education degree.
Senator O'Toole said the Irish exam was an obstacle to teacher supply; it prevented teachers with qualifications from Northern Ireland, Britain and the EU from applying. Beyond the EU there were teachers from Australia, the US and Canada who could be included. The Department should undertake an immediate review of the Scrudu Cailiochta sa Ghaeilge, he said.
The INTO executive would continue to monitor the situation. "If we do not see some immediate, radical steps on increasing the number of qualified teachers coming into the system then we will be left with no choice but to draw attention to it by taking action," Senator O'Toole said.