Sir, - New research once again indicates that the teacher-supply crisis is having a detrimental effect on our education system (“Fifth of secondary schools forced to drop subjects due to teacher shortages, survey finds,” March, 4th).
Schools across the country have been dealing with a severe shortage of teachers for well over a decade. Yet it has been clear for a number of years that the authorities have been relying on the demographic decline to resolve the problem.
In the meantime, they have been happy to tinker with the problem by way of various sticking-plaster solutions, which have resulted in only marginal improvements.
As has been pointed out many times over the last decade, far more fundamental steps are required if the deficit is to be seriously addressed.
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These include changes to salary, contracts, promotional opportunities, recognition of service abroad and incentives to support those undertaking teacher-education programmes.
A continuation of the present approach will ensure the supply crisis persists well into the next decade. Declining numbers of students will undoubtedly lead to the situation improving at primary level, but only after a period of time.
Even then, it will not resolve the problem where shortages are most acute, particularly in cities and schools serving disadvantaged areas. At post-primary level, the fall in student numbers will not begin to have an impact for several years.
More particularly, the need for subject specialists means demographic change alone will not resolve the problem.
An international team of experts behind a report said it was “surprised and concerned that the issue of teacher supply and demand has not been addressed in Ireland as it has been elsewhere”.
It observed that one consequence of the absence of reliable data on both teacher supply and demand had been the increasing reliance on “out-of-field” (ie, unqualified) teachers at post-primary level. That report was published in 2012.
Children who started their primary education when the report was published have now completed their post-primary cycle. This is a sad illustration of the failure to tackle the teacher-supply crisis in an effective and timely manner. - Yours, etc,
DR BRIAN FLEMING and PROF JUDITH HARFORD,
School of Education,
UCD.
