ASTI - Ireland's main second level teachers union

<- Back to: Press Releases

 

An international report on education shows that while the Irish second-level education system is performing well, schools and teachers are hindered by a lack of resources.

The OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) – a survey of teaching conditions and learning environments in second-level schools in 24 countries - shows that Irish teachers report strong levels of teacher self-efficacy*, classroom disciplinary climate and positive teacher-student relations.

However, Ireland is above the TALIS average for the percentage of teachers in schools where a lack of instructional personnel, a lack of support personnel and a lack of laboratory technicians are perceived to hinder teaching. For example, 83% of teachers in Ireland are in schools where a  lack of laboratory technicians is believed to hinder instruction compared with the TALIS average of 33%.

Commenting on the findings, ASTI General Secretary John White said that the education cutbacks have meant that schools have even less resources than they had when the most recent TALIS took place. “Since this survey was carried out, second-level schools have lost teachers, classes are larger, and administrative support has been greatly diminished due to the moratorium on posts of responsibility,” said John White.

A shortage of computers is perceived to be a greater problem in Ireland than in any of the comparison countries. In Ireland, almost 63% of teachers work in schools where a shortage of computers is reported to hinder instruction, compared to the TALIS average of 43%. “This is of great concern to the ASTI given that Ireland’s economic future is highly dependent on its development as knowledge society,” said Mr White.

Mr White said another key concern highlighted in the report is the high number of temporary teachers working in second-level schools in Ireland. The report states that at least one in every four second-level teachers in Ireland is working in a temporary capacity, which is much higher than most other countries. Only 73% of teachers have permanent teaching positions in Ireland compared to 97% in Denmark and 90% in Norway. Fifty-three per cent of second-level teachers in the under-30 age group have contracts of one year or less.

“The vast majority of newly qualified teachers cannot secure permanent teaching posts for many years. This situation has worsened since September when 1,000 teaching posts were taken from schools. At a time when our schools are under-funded and under-staffed, young well-educated teachers are being squeezed out of the education service and in many cases out of the country. “

Ends

*Teacher self efficacy is described in the OECD TALIS Report as teachers’ confidence in their ability as teachers.