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Teacher Recruitment Crisis - ASTI
Posted by on 16/08/2024.
Tags: Teachers
Minister at sixes and sevens as teacher recruitment and retention crisis deepens’ – ASTI leader
82% of schools had no applications for vacant post/s in ‘23/24 school year
The teacher recruitment and retention crisis continues unabated. Schools are under enormous strain and many look like they will be barely able to cope when they reopen shortly.
The extent of the recruitment and retention crisis in our schools demonstrated in a 2024 RED C / ASTI survey issued today is shocking. The survey found that 82% of second-level schools had no applications for an advertised post or posts during the 2023/24 school year; 87% of schools said there were no substitute teachers available to cover for absent teachers; 77% said they had to employ non-qualified/ casual teachers to manage teacher supply issues.
In addition to employing non-qualified teachers, schools had to resort to reassigning Special Education Needs teachers to mainstream classes, adversely impacting the most vulnerable in school communities. Almost a fifth of schools removed a subject or subjects from the curriculum.
Minister Foley has been inexplicably reluctant to make the changes necessary to fundamentally address the problem, according to ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie.
Kieran Christie, ASTI General Secretary, said:
“The Minister for Education is at sixes and sevens as the recruitment and retention crisis deepens. The Minister must change course to ensure that there is a classroom teacher standing before all students for the entirety of the school day. In recent years several minimalist cosmetic interventions have been announced and repackaged that have failed to make a dent in the problem. These include upskilling of existing teachers, extra training places for teachers in our colleges of education, changes to student teacher placement arrangements, and changes to the substitution arrangements applicable for teachers on leave schemes and retired teachers.
“The Minister needs to belatedly realise that it is impossible to entice teachers to return from other countries on the promise of part-time or fixed term positions only. Subject to satisfactory probation, permanent appointments should be made available. Shortening of the extraordinarily long teachers’ pay scale and doubling the number of middle management posts in schools would also help enormously to properly address the teacher supply crisis.
“The United Nations High-Level Panel on the Teaching Profession recently reported on the on-going and worsening crisis in teaching globally and recommended that governments ensure equitable funding for education and sustainable investment in the teaching profession.
“Our government is falling short on both fronts. It cannot continue.
“The children of our country are paying an enormous price in this crisis and it will leave a long and bitter legacy.”
SOURCE: ASTI Press Release
SchoolDays
(16/08/2024 17:58)
ISSU Statement on Teacher Recruitment Crisis 16/8/24
Irish Second Level Students Union Deeply Concerned About Growing Teacher Shortage in Schools
The Irish Second Level Students' Union (ISSU) is concerned about the worsening teacher recruitment and retention crisis in Ireland’s second-level schools, as highlighted by the recent ASTI/RED C survey. The results reveal that 82% of schools had no applications for advertised teaching positions in the 2023/24 school year, underscoring a situation that demands urgent attention.
For students across the country, the impact of this crisis is being felt in every classroom. With 87% of schools unable to find substitute teachers, and 77% forced to employ non-qualified or casual teachers, the quality of education is deteriorating. This is particularly worrying as schools are being forced to reassign Special Education Needs (SEN) teachers to mainstream classes, stripping vital resources from our most vulnerable students.
ISSU Uachtarán, Jack McGinn, stated:
"Our education system is at a breaking point, and it is the students who are suffering the most. Teacher unions must be listened to, and their concerns around the profession must be addressed. Every day, we are witnessing the effects of this crisis - reduced subject offerings, larger class sizes, and a growing reliance on under-qualified staff. The learning experience we deserve is being compromised, and it is unacceptable."
The ISSU echoes the ASTI’s call for immediate and meaningful intervention from the Department of Education. The ISSU believes that current measures, described as "minimalist cosmetic interventions" have not addressed the root causes of this crisis.
ISSU Oifigeach Oideachais, Emma Cox, continued:
“These statistics are evidence of the need for urgent change. The lack of a stable teaching workforce is not just a staffing issue; it is a direct threat to our education and future prospects. Students are receiving a less than adequate education - we should not have to carry the burden of the staffing crisis.