Quinn pledges to rid classrooms of unqualified substitute staff [Independent.ie]
- Published: 26 April 2011
EDUCATION Minister Ruairi Quinn has pledged to get rid of unqualified staff working in primary school classrooms.
He made the promise after the Irish Independent yesterday revealed hundreds of unqualified teachers have been working in schools this year.
Speaking as the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) congress got under way, the minister said it was "wrong" that people with no teaching qualification were being given substitute and temporary work for teachers out sick or on leave.
While offering some comfort on one front, the minister's first address to a teachers' conference warned about difficult choices ahead as he faced the challenge of cutting costs to meet the terms of the EU/IMF bailout, while pupil numbers were rising.
Half of the country's 3,200 primary schools had an unqualified teacher for up to a week this year, and as many as 400 persons with no teaching qualifications have worked for at least 50 days.
A further 975 retired primary teachers have also held substitute or temporary jobs in primary schools this year.
What makes the situation more scandalous is that hundreds of newly qualified teachers cannot find work -- with many unable to find even enough substitute work to satisfy their 170-day probation period and officially complete their training as a teacher.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
