The value placed on teachers in Ireland seems to be downgrading all the time.
Too many parents see school as a glorified babysitting service. Too many students have no respect for their teachers, and why would they when their parents don’t either? And continued cuts to the education sector are making it a frustrating sector to be employed in.
But the reality is that now is the time that investment should be put into our education system, while the country is on its knees economically, and the next generation of workers are being trained. Surely economists can identify sectors where jobs will be most prevalent and students can look to training in these fields? Ireland has always been known for her entreprenuring qualities and this needs to continue to be nurtured in our young people.
For the past couple of years and for the next few to come, too many graduates will finish third level with no prospects of employment in the emerald isle and they are fleeing the country in their droves.
Enough emphasis cannot be placed on the importance of education, whether you plan on staying at home or gaining experience abroad while Ireland recovers. Whatever you choose, a solid education will cross boundaries.
Obviously Ireland can’t afford to maintain her public wage bill, but neither can we afford to drive teachers from their jobs or turn it into an undesirable profession.
In many towns there are a number of schools, be they primary or secondary, who are competing for enrolments. This is excellent news for parents and students because the majority of schools are constantly looking for ways to offer more to their students to make their school the most attractive option.
But when you look at the statistics, the future of teaching is under threat. Ireland has a far higher proportion of temporary teaching positions than most OECD countries. This means that new teachers who do manage to find work spend a number of years in precarious employment. Twenty-seven per cent of second-level teachers are in temporary positions compared to an OECD average of 15.7 per cent. More than half (53 per cent ) of Irish second-level teachers under 30 years of age have a temporary teaching contact of one year or less.
No one wants to enter a profession where their status is unknown from one year to the next. It makes the decision to purchase a house almost impossible for these teachers who are struggling to obtain mortgages given their short term contracts.
What is so wrong with giving these teachers longer-term contracts? We are undergoing a population boom in this country, so without doubt schools will continue to be filled and a high standard of teachers required. Even before the education cuts, Ireland was investing less of its wealth in education than all but three of 28 OECD countries.
There have been increases in pupil/teacher ratios, withdrawal of resources for teachers of Travellers, reduced subject choices for students, loss of English-language teachers, and supports for families have been cut as well as cuts to school funding.
Teachers are among the hardest and most productive workers in the public sector. They act as social workers, psychologists, and often substitute parents on top of an already demanding job. So what if they get the summer off? The school year is designed around the needs of the children and not the adults who are teaching them. We should continue to support our teachers. There are other areas in the public sector that are completely inefficient. They will be found out. But leave teaching alone.
