Around 2,500 children in Dublin primary schools could be without a teacher at the start of the school year next week, according to the Irish Primary Principals’ Network.

The figures are based on the number of permanent jobs and fixed-term jobs vacancies on PPN's website Education Posts.

IPPN chief Pairic Clerkin told Dublin Live: “We know schools are having problems recruiting teachers because of a shortfall of teachers and if that situation was to follow through and we haven't got teachers by next week, that's what we'd be talking about approximately 2,500 children without a class teacher.

He said that this is their worst recruitment year so far, adding: “We've had a substitute problem there in the last number of years but this year the problem is getting more serious... It's exacerbated to a level of threefold of what it was last year.”

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Mr Clerkin explained that in that situation, schools would have to resort to what they did during the Covid-19 pandemic and ask their special education teachers to take the class – because you have to have a teacher in front of the class. "And that then unfortunately means that the children with extra needs or with special needs, they're missing out on some of their one-to-one or the small group tuition.”

The stress that Irish principals around the country are feeling due to these shortages are similar to what they were feeling during the pandemic, Mr Clerkin said. He added: “It's very difficult for the principals.

"It’s really important that the principals, they did not create the problem and they're doing everything in their power to find solutions for their school, for the children in their school, which would be their priority, for the parents in their school.”

There are several solutions which could address the problems arising from the teacher’s shortage, Mr Clerkin said. One such solution would be to recruit freshly qualified teachers once the teacher training colleges finish in May. Another solution would be to ensure special education children who have missed out on their tuition get extra allotted time once extra teaching resources have been secured.

Part-time contracts “will not work” in areas under pressure, especially where there is a problem with finding accommodation, Mr Clerkin said, adding: “What we need is greater flexibility to be able to combine part-time positions with substitute teaching and give a year-long contract.

“So in other words, schools might have a certain number of hours for teaching English as an additional language. They might have a certain number of hours for special education. And what we need to do is combine those hours and add it to substitute work and give a year long contract.”

Giving teachers who have agreed to cover maternity leave a year-long contract and putting them on the substitute panels for the remaining part of the year would also make the job more attractive for teachers.

Finally, positions abroad are very attractive to Irish teachers, he said, and school systems here need to be proactive in how they support teachers who want to move back from abroad. They also need to think about how to make the job attractive for teachers abroad who might wish to spend some time in Ireland or in Europe.

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