Minister must act as teacher shortages failing children

• Labour calls for an urgent round table discussion with stakeholders

Labour education spokesperson Aodhán Ó Ríordáin has said the children of Dublin are being failed over the chronic teacher shortages in schools across the capital with over 60% of supply posts vacant, and called on the Minister to convene an urgent round table with stakeholders to find solutions.

Deputy Ó Ríordáin said:

“The failure of the Department to adequately plan for teacher supply is seriously impacting on our children’s education, and is causing a huge administrative headache for principals seeking to fill posts.

“The Minister must be proactive, and work to find solutions, as in Dublin nearly all principals are struggling to find substitute teachers. This is truly and utterly unacceptable. Convening a roundtable with stakeholders would provide an opportunity for unions and others to put forward the reality of chronic under-staffing, and tease out potential actions the Department can take.

“We can’t have an ongoing situation where special education teachers are being forced to plug gaps in mainstream classrooms which, in turn, deprived vulnerable children of vital education. It is really not good enough.

“More than a quarter of all schools who responded to a recent survey the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN) said they did not have their full staffing quota, while many positions on supply panels of substitute teachers are lying vacant, while the INTO say the cost-of-living crisis, the lack of housing and massive increases to rents has exacerbated the problems associated with teacher recruitment.

“The reality is we have more than 60% of posts on teacher supply panels in Dublin are vacant so we need an urgent round table discussion with stakeholders to get to grips with this crisis or more children will suffer across our capital.”

ENDS