Budget fails to address worsening teacher supply crisis
Budget 2026 fails to tackle the key issues impacting second-level schools and students, according to ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie.
“There is no commitment to end the chronic shortage of second-level teachers, too large class sizes, and the glaring lack of resources in schools,” said Mr Christie.
Teacher supply
“The United Nations Panel on the Teaching Profession recently advised governments that investment in education and the teaching profession is vital for the future of teaching and education. Budget 2026 is a missed opportunity for Ireland to halt its worsening teacher supply crisis.
Class size
“While we acknowledge the announcement of additional teaching posts*, the majority of which are special educational needs posts, these will likely be spread very thinly across primary and second-level schools, and may be partially accounted for by rising demographics. What is most concerning about Budget 2026 is that if fails to address the fact that second-level class sizes are bigger than they were 17 years ago, prior to the 2008 economic crash. This is despite the fact that classrooms today are significantly more complex teaching and learning environments.
“The Minister for Education and Youth states that her objective is to deliver a world class education system, yet an increase in the pupil-teacher ratio, announced back in 2008 in response to Ireland’s worst ever economic crash, has still not been reversed,” said Mr Christie.
Lack of resources
The recently published OECD report Education at Glance 2025 found that Ireland invested 0.8% of its GDP in second-level education, compared to the OECD and EU averages of 1.7%. A €20 increase in the capitation grant will not close this gap. Schools are continuously stretched by a lack of resources. For example, in a RedC/ ASTI survey of school leaders (undertaken in spring 2025), half of respondents said that their schools do not have a sufficient number of science labs to effectively roll out new Leaving Cert science subject specifications (biology, chemistry, physics) introduced this September.
Cost of living
Mr Christie said that teachers, in line with all other members of society, have suffered the effects of rises in the cost-of-living in recent years and that Budget 2026 does little to nothing to address this.
“Teachers face an excessively long salary scale. In Ireland, entry to the teaching profession is both lengthy and costly for young people. The recently published OECD report Education at a Glance 2025 found that Ireland is below the OECD average for teachers’ starting salary and salary after 10 years’ teaching experience. Cost of living issues are exacerbating Ireland’s teacher supply crisis,” said Mr Christie.
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