Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 February 2023
192. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the survey published by an organisation (details supplied) in October 2022, which found that home economics is the second most difficult subject for which to find a teacher; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5622/23]
View answer227. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if she will work with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to add home economics to the programme to upskill registered post-primary teachers and join mathematics, physics, Spanish and Irish as a subject with a high difficulty in accessing teachers in view of the fact that home economics was reported in a TUI survey from 2022 to be the second most difficult subject for which to find a teacher; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5916/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 192 and 227 together.
My Department is aware of the survey referred to by the Deputies.
In 2018, my Department established a Steering Group on Teacher Supply to facilitate multi-agency engagement and to lead on a coordinated programme of actions to support the supply of teachers at post-primary level. Arising from the work of this Group and its various substructures, the Teacher Supply Action Plan was published in November 2018.
The Action Plan called for the development of upskilling programmes in targeted subject areas for existing teachers, and following a request from my Department, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) issued a funding call to initial teacher education (ITE) providers for upskilling programmes in mathematics, physics and Spanish in late 2019. These were identified by the Steering Group as among the most challenging subjects in terms of teacher recruitment. Following the successful completion of the funding call, these programmes commenced in January 2021.
Upskilling programmes are provided over two years on a part-time basis. They are free of cost to participants. The first cohort of participants, approximately 170 teachers, completed these programmes in 2022 and more than 300 teachers are due to graduate in 2023. My Department has agreed to extend funding in 2023 and to provide for additional capacity.
Funding for these programmes was put in place following a competitive call to all initial teacher education providers for proposals. It is intended to commence an upskilling programme in Irish in 2023/24 and consideration will be given to extending programmes to other subjects. The allocation of funding for any future programmes will be dependent on a competitive tender process for potential providers.
