LAST UPDATE | 23 Aug
THE START OF another academic year has flown in and second-level schools are once again scrambling to find teachers to cover the full breadth of subjects that they wish to offer students. At the same time, recruitment websites strain under the weight of hundreds of vacant teaching posts listed around the country.
It is absolutely undeniable that we are in the midst of a severe teacher recruitment and retention crisis, yet it is abundantly clear that there is little political will to implement the measures that would alleviate it.
It is beyond frustrating that the Department of Education is still refusing to acknowledge the depth of this problem, focusing instead on small cosmetic measures that those in school communities know will have, at best, a negligible impact.
Of course, it is students who will suffer as a result of this crisis. Teacher shortages inevitably result in less access to the full range of subjects and situations where students can be taught by a succession of teachers.
It is now our firm belief that rather than tackling the root causes of these problems, the Department is content to ‘ride out’ the crisis until demographics result in a fall in student numbers and less demand for teachers. However, today’s students only get one chance to progress through second level, and the Department’s reckless inaction is, in far too many schools, denying them the full educational experience that they are entitled to. In addition, by not working towards properly resolving this crisis, we risk losing our best graduates to other employments where their qualifications and skills are better appreciated.
To further complicate matters, a process of Senior Cycle redevelopment is already underway, with new curricula and assessment components due to be rolled out. The TUI is always in favour of positive, appropriately resourced change that benefits students and the education system, but how can change of this magnitude be properly implemented if schools are struggling to recruit and retain classroom teachers? How can the modern, experiential learning envisaged take place if understaffed schools are forced to make do with larger class sizes?
We know from international colleagues that the recruitment and retention crisis in teaching is fast becoming a global problem, but rather than providing any element of comfort, this should be even more alarming for our policy makers, as other jurisdictions are aggressively recruiting in Ireland, often offering initial job security that new second-level teachers simply do not have access to here.
So, I’ve outlined the problems, but what are the solutions? How can this crisis be effectively tackled?
In the first instance, schools must be provided with greater teaching allocations to allow more full-time, permanent jobs from initial appointment. Our own research shows that only 35% of those recently appointed received a contract of full hours upon commencement, with just 12% offered a permanent position on appointment. So much for teaching being a ‘safe’ and ‘secure’ job.
Career structures must be enhanced to keep the job attractive and to boost retention. Posts of responsibility, which ensure the smooth running of schools and provide pastoral support for students, were cut during the last recession and have never been properly restored. Their loss has been keenly felt in school communities, increasing the workload of principals and deputy principals and reducing supports for students while eliminating promotional opportunities for teachers.
Halving the duration of the two-year Professional Master of Education (PME) required to become a second level teacher would make the profession immediately and significantly more accessible to all in our society, particularly to those who cannot afford to pursue the profession.
It is no longer acceptable that second-level teachers should have to complete a four-year degree followed by a two-year PME, being subsidised by family if they’re fortunate enough to have this support or else being saddled with significant debt before they even apply for an initial teaching job that is unlikely to be on a permanent or full-time basis.
With thousands of young Irish teachers working in different jurisdictions, we also need to eliminate the red tape that hinders those working overseas from returning to take up positions in Ireland, including awarding full incremental credit for their service abroad. Currently, teachers returning from positions in private schools outside the EU are placed on the first point of the teachers’ salary scale here despite the significant and demonstrable experience attained in teaching diverse curricula abroad. This affects the overwhelming majority of those who may wish to return to Ireland from countries such as Dubai.
In many cases, they will simply choose to continue to teach outside Ireland or, if they do return, work in other employments where their transferrable skills are better appreciated. Ultimately, it is students who will lose out.
Finally, the ever-increasing workload, particularly that of a bureaucratic nature, that continues to be a demoralising factor in the profession and sees many leave for other employment must be tackled.
Of course, there would be a financial cost to some of these measures, but our level of spending in international terms is shamefully low and requires urgent, upwards revision. The latest OECD indicators show that of the countries for which figures are provided, none spend a lower proportion of national wealth (GDP) on education than Ireland (3%). This is even more pronounced at second level, where at 1%, the spend is just half that of the OECD average.
We once again urge the Government to acknowledge this recruitment and retention crisis and to immediately work with us to implement the measures required to tackle it.
David Waters is the President of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) and a teacher of English and History from Dublin.
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