A number of Tipperary primary schools are struggling due to the shortage of teachers and substitute teachers.
President of the Irish Primary Principals’ Network Louise Tobin says having been a problem in Dublin and neighbouring counties it is now very much an issue across the country.
A survey by the IPPN, INTO and CPSMA has highlighted the impact this is having on vulnerable children and their vital school supports.
Louise Tobin – who is Principal of St Joseph’s Primary School in Tipp Town – says when no teachers are available it has a knock-on effect across the school.
“In that circumstance the Principal would have no choice other than to re-designate a teacher from Special Ed into the classrooms, recognising that its vital that every child has a teacher in their classroom every day. However if we redeploy or re-designate our Special Ed teachers then our most vulnerable pupils with additional needs are missing out on that valuable time – one-to-one or group work or time out with their Special Ed teacher – which is really what gets them through the school day.”
Louise Tobin says there is an urgent need to attract Irish teachers back from abroad.
While there have been a number of improvements in recent years such as a 12% increase in the number of teaching posts – which equates to over 4,500 teachers added to the system – there simply aren’t the people to fill them.
Louise says Irish trained primary teachers are highly sought after meaning thousands of them have taken up teaching posts abroad.
“I suppose the high rents, the mortgages, the cost of living is really challenging. So we have a lot of our young graduates in Dubai and in Australia. They’re loving it – they’re enjoying the free flights over and home, free accommodation, they’re getting good pay, free transport to and from school each day and if they stay on for a second year they’re getting double money.”
