Teacher vacancies and shortages
Jennifer Whitmore corrected an earlier factual point on water quality and then raised serious teacher vacancies, especially in Wicklow, from the INTO survey. The Taoiseach said overall teacher numbers were at record levels but accepted shortages remained and pointed to the new bursary for student teachers.
I want to correct something that was stated earlier because facts do matter. Agriculture is actually the most significant pressure on water quality in this country. That is from the EPA, and Teagasc has said it as well.
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It was in relation to-----
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The Taoiseach might read the Oxford report.
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I just wanted to state that.
I want to talk about the INTO survey results. These are really worrying. There are now more than 950 teacher posts vacant in primary and special schools across Ireland. Every one of those vacancies represents a classroom full of children.
As a TD for Wicklow, I am particularly worried because the survey results mention that there has been a significant increase in the number of vacant posts in our county and there are currently 38 projected substitute vacancies for Wicklow. What that means, in real terms, is 38 classes without a qualified teacher for the school year ahead. This is something that has been raised with me for a number of years. Indeed, one of the classes in our constituency had 37 children in it at the start of this school term. That is not teaching; it is just crowd control. What response will the Government have to this crisis in the education system?
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I thank Deputy Whitmore. There are now more teachers than ever working in the Irish education system. In March of this year, there were 78,646 teachers employed, with less than 1% of resignations and less than 2% of retirements annually. The teacher allocation ratio in primary schools is now at the lowest level it has ever been but I accept the broader point in respect of shortages and that they also exist in our own constituency.
Budget 2025 included a bursary for student teachers to increase the number of qualified teachers in post-primary schools. This bursary is a €2,000 payment each year for the final two years of their undergraduate initial teacher education and it is contingent on a commitment to complete a minimum of two years post-qualification teaching service in a recognised school. This is one of the latest measures we have taken to try to increase teacher supply.