Sir, – We welcome the spotlight being shone in recent days on the shortage of qualified teachers, and understandably, much of this focus has been placed on the shortfall in affordable housing and the implications for teachers (“Teacher shortages: Most secondary schools unable to fill key posts – survey”, News, October 26th).
While the housing crisis has exacerbated the issue of teacher supply, the problem of teacher shortages, as we have pointed out previously in these columns over several years (every year since 2017) has existed now for over a decade.
It is the result of a number of interrelated variables including salary and allowances, availability of realistic contracts, conditions of service and the cost of initial teacher education programmes.
Moreover, a lack of support services, increased bureaucracy and higher stress levels are having a negative impact on the attractiveness of the profession, adding to retention challenges among those already qualified.
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Until these fundamental problems are adequately addressed, the teacher supply problem will not only persist, it will in fact deepen.
– Yours, etc,
Prof JUDITH HARFORD,
Dr BRIAN FLEMING,
School of Education, University College Dublin.