Half of second-level schools have unfilled vacancies according to ASTI survey

A recent survey carried out by the Association of Secondary Teachers (ASTI) and RED C has shown that there are unfilled vacancies in more than half of all second-level schools across the country.

84& of principals surveyed have experienced situations during this school year where no teacher applied for an advertised post; 55% of principals state that they currently have unfilled vacancies.

Principals who participated in the survey undertaken in March say the declining attractiveness of teaching is the main reason for this.

ASTI President, Eamon Dennehy, said: “We are seeing the fruits of a short-sighted government decision to de-value the work of teachers. Teaching is not sufficiently attractive anymore largely due to demoralising unequal pay.

“Ireland is fortunate to have a high performing education system, but we are at a critical point. The Government must act now to end unequal pay and address recruitment and retention difficulties in schools. You cannot value education if you do not value teachers.”

Mr Dennehy said the ASTI will do everything in its power to end unequal pay scales for teachers who entered the profession after 2010. This includes using part of the 1% salary increase for second-level teachers to restore the PME allowance which was abolished for new entrants to teaching in 2012.

“What this means is that the majority of second-level teachers will forgo some of their pay in order to reduce the pay-gap experienced by those teachers on an inferior pay scale. It is deplorable that ordinary teachers have to use their pay to rectify a reckless government decision that has left second-level schools unable to recruit teachers across a range of subjects.”

Over a third (34%) of classroom teachers rate their wellbeing as poor while less than a third (28%) rate their wellbeing as good or very good in the survey. Teachers surveyed say workload and work intensity are the main factors impacting their wellbeing. Job satisfaction amongst teachers has dropped from 63% in 2021 to 50% in 2022.

The key recommendation from teachers for a safe working environment post-pandemic is smaller classes. 77% felt this should be a priority. Adequate work space for teachers is also important (71%) as are having a strong cleaning regime (67%) and improving air quality in schools (58%).

The right to disconnect from school e-communications after the school day was identified as the top priority for improving teacher wellbeing.

According to Mr Dennehy, "recent ASTI research demonstrated that large classes are the norm across a range of Junior Cycle subjects. Large classes by definition mean increased workload for teachers in terms of preparation for the class, setting and marking homework and record keeping."

“Teaching is hugely relational and teacher-student interaction is a vital component of quality classroom teaching and learning. Large classes hinder teacher-student interaction and increase work intensity for teachers who must cater for the diverse learning needs of each class.”

Principals have identified a number of factors which they believe are impacting on teacher shortages such as inadequate numbers of teachers graduating in certain subjects, the high cost of the two-year Professional Master of Education (PME) and the decline in the attractiveness of teaching.

Over 2,500 second-level teachers took part in the collaborative survey by RED C and ASTI.