Half of schools in Kildare have vacant teaching posts - Labour Cllr

Launch of the Labour Party’s Education Policy in Labour Head Office

Kildare North Labour General Election candidate, Cllr. Angela Feeney said that action is needed to address the teacher supply crisis in Co Kildare.

Cllr Feeney claimed that half of schools in Kildare report unfilled teaching posts.

Speaking at the launch of the Labour Party’s Education Policy in Labour Head Office on Friday, Cllr Feeney has called on the Minister for Education to establish a taskforce to address the broad range of issues impacting on the recruitment and retention of teachers, and the development of key worker housing to ensure our public services are properly staffed.

Cllr Feeney said: “Across the country schools are understaffed, principals are struggling to recruit qualified teachers, and the teaching of children is being impacted. Figures released by the INTO show over 950 posts vacant at primary level. Similar problems are impacting on our secondary schools. Half of schools in Kildare, Dublin and Wicklow report unfilled teaching posts.

“The Minister can no longer ignore the crisis and action is long overdue. Labour is calling for a taskforce to be established to consider the many issues influencing recruitment and retention of teachers. Children need to have qualified staff in the classroom. 

Cllr Feeney said that problems that schools are facing include casualisation of the profession, the length of pay scales and the cost of living and lack of affordable housing.

Cllr Feeney said that new graduates cannot afford to live where there are teaching vacancies and feel their only option is to emigrate. 

She added: “The lack of qualified staff is undermining the education of children. Special education teachers are filling in gaps, and unqualified staff are being recruited.

“This is not acceptable and two months into the school year action is needed. Ireland still has some of the highest pupil teacher ratios in Europe.

“As someone who has worked in education all my life, I know first hand the issues facing the professions. And I know that there are solutions, with the political will. Labour has called for the development of key worker housing as a key measure to ensure public servants can live in our cities and growing towns so that public services can be adequately staffed.”