IN A DRAMATIC turn-around in teacher supply, there are more qualified primary teachers available this September than there are substitute positions. On September 2nd, there were 50 teachers in the INTO's head office, in Parnell Square, Dublin and only four jobs. By the end of the same week, there were 24 teachers in head office and only one job.
So, what is happening? Are we producing too many primary teachers? Is the demographic downturn even greater than expected?
Over the past five years the number of entrants to teacher-training colleges has increased steadily, from 275 in 1992 to 500 this year. A postgraduate course will begin in January, taking in a further 150 people.
This year, more than 600 qualified teachers came on the market 180 of these qualified on the shorter postgraduate course, which was introduced to get trained teachers on the market as quickly as possible.
The INTO has been actively calling for more trained teachers each year. Has the union miscalculated?
Senator Joe O'Toole, general secretary of the INTO, argues that the present situation is a purely artificial one, created by a combination of factors: the Minister and the INTO failed to reach agreement on the redeployment of teachers from schools with falling enrolments until after the school year began the urban-disadvantage scheme which will employ 121 teachers in 33 schools, will not begin until October 1st and details of the rural disadvantage scheme which will employ about 25 teachers have yet to be announced.
This delay is "unnecessary and disgraceful", O'Toole says.
The early retirement scheme has yet to be implemented, he notes. This scheme is part of the PCW package, which the INTO voted to accept but which was rejected by the TUI and ASTI.
"Consequently, all these factors mean that a whole bunch of highly qualified young teachers are sitting in our front office, looking for a job," O'Toole says.
A spokesman for the Department of Education notes that the success of the Minister in increasing the number of trained primary teachers is obviously part of the reason for sufficient numbers of teachers being available to cover the needs.
The spokesman explained that "Breaking The Cycle", the scheme to combat disadvantage, is a new development that was announced during the summer.
Independent consultants selected the schools to be targeted and enrolments had to be checked in September to ensure that the pupil teacher ratio of 15-to-one is achieved, so a later introduction of the scheme was unavoidable.
"There will also be in-career meetings for principals and teachers. There is a whole programme and process and the work must be done properly," he adds.
On September 9th, the latest date for which figures are available there were 35 teachers on the national supply panel and 60 teachers on the supplementary panel. Some of these will already have been redeployed, but both panels must be fully clear before any positions will be advertised.
O'Toole does not expect a clear picture of teacher supply to emerge until the beginning of November. Last year about 800 substitute teachers were required daily.
"There is a great need to improve the conditions of service of substitute teachers. These teachers are employed on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. They tend to be looked upon as disposable, but these are people upon whom we depend. Their conditions of service should be as good as those for permanent teachers," O'Toole says.
