Issues like housing, the cost of living, and poor pay have resulted in over 5,000 Irish teachers moving abroad.
That’s according to INTO General Secretary John Boyle who told Late Breakfast today that there is a “teacher supply crisis” happening in Ireland right now.
It comes as the 156th annual INTO conference gets underway in Derry today where over 1,000 delegates from north and south of the country are meeting to discuss teaching in Ireland.
Key focus
Mr Boyle said the key focus of the conference will be on “investment in teachers, schools and children”.
“We’re having huge issues with retention of teachers, particularly,” he said.
“There’s still a lot going into teacher training but they’re not remaining in Ireland, there are over 5,000 teachers from the Republic working overseas.
“Meanwhile, we have 3,000 classes not covered every single day – that’s a big issue.”
A teacher teaching his kids about geography by using a globe in the classroom of primary school (Wavebreak Media ltd / Alamy Stock Photo)Mr Boyle said there is a myriad of reasons behind why so many Irish teachers opt to work abroad.
“Not only the cost of living and housing crisis, but the career structure in primary teaching is much flatter than it used to be,” he said.
“Back in 2010 before austerity if you wanted to work in a specialised setting, you needed extra diplomas, like a master's or a doctorate, and you got an allowance to cover fees.
“If you worked in a Gaelscoil you got more money there because promoting the language is important but all of these allowances have been stripped.”
International standards
Mr Boyle said Ireland is well behind international standards in certain teaching metrics.
“Ireland is on top of the league of shame with an average class size of 23 when the rest of Europe is 20 or less,” he said.
“It’s easy to do things like robotics with a smaller class and it’s easier to fund these initiatives in schools if schools are properly funded.
“A report last year indicated that we are also 10% below the OECD average for developed countries in terms of funding for primary schools.
“We need to support children who have special educational needs and when have a teacher supply crisis and the largest classrooms in Europe, it’s difficult to give on to one education.”
Performing well
Despite challenges, Mr Boyle said teachers are still managing to perform well in Ireland.
“I have to say Irish teachers are proving themselves despite the challenges, OECD reports our students are still fairing very well in international tests,” he said.
The annual INTO conference will end on Wednesday.
Main image: Children using iPads in the classroom with teacher. Image: Michael Folmer / Alamy Stock Photo
