ASTI - Ireland's main second level teachers union

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Commenting on the Department of Education and Skills’ Circular to schools on teacher recruitment, ASTI General Secretary Pat King said:

“The Circular represents a small step in the right direction. The ASTI raised the issue of teacher recruitment at a recent meeting with the Minister for Education and Skills Ruairi Quinn. We expressed our deep concern that young teachers are being squeezed out of the profession due to a lack of job opportunities while, at the same time, schools are able to employ unqualified teachers to teach young people.

“At our meeting with the Minister we raised the issue of establishing regional panels of qualified, registered second-level teachers who are available for work. We stated that the establishment of such panels would assist schools in recruiting qualified teachers and that this would enhance the job opportunities available to young teachers and would benefit the education of our young people.

 “A motion passed at our Annual Conference states that the Department of Education and Skills should establish regional panels of qualified registered teachers with at least three years’ service who have not yet secured full-time permanent teaching positions.

“Today’s Circular requires schools to prioritise the employment of qualified registered teachers and to work with other schools in the locality to establish panels of teachers available for temporary work.

“This will go some way towards addressing the lack of job opportunities for our young teachers. However, the ASTI remains concerned that a key piece of legislation – Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act – which would ensure schools only employ qualified registered teachers to work in schools in a teaching capacity, has yet to be enacted.”

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