Ireland’s teacher recruitment and retention crisis is not a temporary fluctuation but a system challenge that threatens the quality of education and equity for young people. This was the message conveyed to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education by ASTI General Secretary Kieran Christie on Wednesday. Mr Christie referenced recent ASTI and RedC research which found that the teacher supply crisis is impacting on every part of the school system, including 75% of schools advertising posts for which no applicant applied, and many second-level schools relying on non-qualified, out-of-field, or casual teachers. The ASTI is calling for a number of measures to address the current teacher supply crisis. To talk about this was Cathal Crowe, Chair of Oireachtas Committee on Education and Meelick Fianna Fail TD and Geraldine O’Brien, Former ASTI President and teacher at St Joseph’s Kilkee Community College on Thursday's Morning Focus with Alan Morrissey. Photo (c) Aflo Images via Canva
