Fact File

Annual salary:

Annual salary:

From April 1 next: £13,989 to £27,191 in 25 increments. There are additional allowances for various academic qualifications and posts of responsibility. Principals earn between £3,805 and £15,368 a year extra, depending on the number of teachers in the school. Source: ASTI

Are we training too many teachers? Student enrolments are falling. However, demographics could prove a dividend rather than the end-of-the line for teacher recruitment. The ASTI notes that 77 per cent of students who enter second-level education now complete senior cycle. Government target policy is that, by the end of the decade, at least 90 per cent of the 16- to 18-yearold age group will complete senior cycle. The White Paper on Education proposes that the school-leaving age be raised to 16. The ASTI points out that reducing the pupil teacher ratio from 19:1 to 17:1 in second-level schools would require an additional 1,200 teachers.