Salary change after teaching abroad pitched to help fix teaching crisis

Ireland’s main teaching unions are warning that there is now unprecedented difficulty in hiring staff.

Two in every three Irish secondary schools now have unfilled vacancies.

Three in every four secondary schools have advertised positions within the past year for which, over a six-month period, they have not received any applications.

A Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) survey of 104 secondary schools nationwide revealed that 89pc were experiencing a staff recruitment and retention problem.

And almost half of those schools surveyed (45pc) said they have had to restrict student access to specific subjects because of teacher availability issues.

A key proposal at this year’s teaching conferences will be enhanced systems to attract trained Irish teachers back home from abroad.

At the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI) convention in Wexford, teachers are set to propose that the length of teaching service abroad should be included in the calculation of incremental credit in their salary in a bid to encourage second-level teachers to move back home.

The fact some teachers do not receive credit for working abroad is a “significant disincentive” for people considering returning to Ireland, the ASTI said.

Motions calling for the length of training programmes to be halved and for a reduction in the 25-year teachers’ salary scale are also set to be debated as the ASTI looks to address the severe shortage of teachers.

Second-level teaching normally requires a degree and a Professional Master of Education (PME).

However, the cost of the two-year PME is estimated to be between €10,000 and €15,000. Student teachers are required to undertake classroom teaching practice, but do not receive any pay.

The ASTI is proposing that the PME be reduced to one year, as it believes the high cost of qualifying, together with a two-year commitment, is impacting the attractiveness of teaching as a career.

The issue will also dominate the three-day TUI conference which opens tomorrow in Killarney, Co Kerry.

A TUI spokesperson warned that the teacher recruitment and retention ­crisis has deepened across Irish schools and classrooms over recent months.

“This crisis is worsening,” they said.

“Schools are experiencing unprecedented difficulties filling vacancies, a problem exacerbated by cost-of-living increases and the severe scarcity of affordable accommodation.

“Contracts of full hours must be provided from initial appointment to boost recruitment and teachers must have access to enhanced career structures to boost retention.

“It must also be made easier for Irish teachers to return home from abroad.”

The recruitment crisis is ­particularly severe in Dublin where cost-of-living issues are particularly acute, especially in terms of accommodation and housing costs.

Dublin schools have experienced tremendous difficulty in recruiting suitable staff – with many teachers from outside the Dublin area ­unwilling to commit to permanent jobs because of the cost of housing and the requirement, in many cases, to undertake lengthy travel to the school from areas where housing costs are lower.

The TUI warned that the problem is a symptom of the wider underfunding of the education sector.

The union – which represents 20,500 teachers and lecturers in second-level schools, further education and training colleges and technological universities/institutes of technology – said that the success of the Irish economy over recent decades has largely been due to the availability of a highly skilled, highly educated workforce.

“When education is not adequately resourced, students lose out.

“The latest OECD figures show that of 36 countries, none spend a lower proportion of national wealth (GDP) on education than Ireland.

“This is even more pronounced at second level, where at 1pc, the spend for second level is just half that of the OECD average.

“This is resulting in larger class sizes, overstretched pastoral support systems for students and education facilities which are often unsuited to modern teaching and learning.”

But the TUI warned that regional variations in pay and investment are not the answer to the problems ­facing the sector and are not acceptable to trade unions.

“There must be parity of esteem across the technological university sector and any regional variations in terms of pay and conditions are unacceptable.

“TUI members recently gave an ­overwhelming mandate for ­industrial action over this critical issue.

“Separately, the sector’s funding crisis continues to have a significant negative impact, resulting in larger class sizes and less access to laboratories, equipment, materials, libraries and tutorials.”

Other topics which will feature prominently at this year’s conferences include student wellbeing, teacher workload and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the Leaving Cert.

A key motion will explore how AI will affect project work and assessment.

Education Minister Norma Foley had previously proposed that additional assessments such as coursework, orals and practical examinations would count towards at least 40pc of overall marks.

The plans for teachers to assess students for 40pc of marking in Leaving Cert exams was then shelved because of the risk of cheating posed by AI. A motion put forward by the ASTI is urgently seeking to ensure flexibility in the percentage of marks allocated.

Teachers are also calling for state exams to no longer be held during Easter and midterm breaks. The ASTI says senior-cycle oral examinations should be scheduled during term time “in the interest of student and staff well-being and health and safety”.

More than 500 delegates at the ASTI convention will hear that student and teacher well-being must be supported by adequate investment in schools.

Teachers are seeking properly resourced psychological support services for students and are looking to conduct a survey of teachers on the psychological stressors they experience in their working lives. A motion will also consider the need for stronger legislation to deal with online harassment.

Delegates will also seek the abolishment of the controversial 33 hours of additional non-class contact hours agreed under the terms of the Croke Park Agreement.

The ASTI said it will ballot members with a view to taking industrial action if the unpaid Croke Park hours are not terminated before the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year.

The three main teaching unions will hold their conferences over the next few days.

The INTO conference starts today and runs until Wednesday in Derry. Minister Foley will address delegates at it today.

The ASTI convention takes place from tomorrow until Thursday in Wexford.

The TUI conference begins tomorrow and runs until Thursday.

Both the minister and junior higher education minister Niall Collins will address the TUI conference. They will be pressed by union leaders and delegates to develop specific measures to target staff recruitment.

This year’s conference – which will be attended by over 500 delegates – will revolve around the theme “educate, advocate & empower”.

Funding

A total of €79 million in funding to support digital learning and minor building works in primary and secondary schools has been announced.

It includes €50 million in grant funding for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to all recognised primary and post-primary schools and €29 million in minor works funding also being provided to primary and special schools.

The ICT funding will help schools continue to use digital technologies in their teaching, learning and assessment, while the minor works funding can be used for maintenance and small-scale improvements to school buildings and grounds.

Education Minister Norma Foley, making the announcement, said the department is “acutely aware” of schools’ need to have appropriate ICT infrastructure and remains committed to funding its ‘Digital Strategy.’

“Digital technologies can open up a world of opportunities to our pupils and students. It is important that schools can properly equip our young people with the knowledge, skills and understanding to harness the benefits of such technologies,” Minister Foley added.

The ICT grant will consist of a €2,000 basic grant for primary schools.

It will also include an additional payment of €39 per mainstream pupil, €43 per pupil in DEIS schools and €47 per pupil with special needs in a special school or special class in a primary school.

A 100 pupil-primary school will receive €5,973 and a 500 pupil- primary school will receive €21,865.

Post-primary schools will be paid a €2,000 basic grant plus €47 per mainstream student and €52 per student in DEIS schools.

A 500 student- post-primary school would receive €25,840 and a 1,000 student-post-primary school would receive €49,680.

This ICT grant builds on the €210m already allocated under the previous Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020, and the €50m issued under Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan to enable schools to support learners at risk of education disadvantage through the digital divide.