Paul Murphy warns career break cuts will worsen teacher crisis
Paul Murphy criticised the government's response to widespread teacher shortages, arguing that suspending career breaks will worsen recruitment and retention. He said the crisis is driven by teachers' terms and conditions and the housing crisis and called for rent controls, large-scale social housing and restored posts.
Government measures criticised
Paul Murphy contrasted the government's lifting of the €500,000 pay cap for bankers - allowing multimillion euro pay packages - with its response to the teacher shortage, saying the government chose to suspend career breaks rather than make teaching more sustainable.
Scale of recruitment and retention problems
He highlighted statistics that 91% of schools experienced teacher recruitment difficulties in the past six months and 61% experienced retention difficulties, with the problem having a huge impact across the country and particularly in Dublin. He also noted that 65% of teachers appointed after 2011 did not receive a contract of full hours on initial appointment.
TUI warning on limited measures
Paul Murphy quoted the TUI's advance warning that "announcing limited measures yet again in relation to career breaks, job sharing and the taking of additional hours will do nothing to tackle the significant problems being experienced in schools across the country." He said the government's suspension of career breaks will make the profession less attractive and ultimately worsen the teacher recruitment and retention crisis.
Policy solutions proposed
He urged meaningful action to tackle the housing crisis - introducing rent controls, building social and genuinely affordable homes on a massive scale - and to address teachers' working conditions. He also called for offering whole-time jobs to new teachers, immediately restoring all posts to ensure smooth school operation, and providing promotional opportunities to improve retention.
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Last week we heard about a crisis in our banking sector, but we can't attract the bankers that we need to lead our banks like they did before the crisis. And the answer from the government for that crisis was get rid of the pay cap of 500,000 euros so we can pay them millions and millions of euros like they were paid before the banking crisis that we all experienced. This week we hear about a much more important, much more severe, much more impactful crisis in terms of teacher shortages which is having a huge impact on children across the country and particularly in Dublin. And what is the government's answer? It's to get rid of their career breaks. It tells us everything we need to know about who the government represents and who they do not represent. It is quite incredible that we have a crisis that is acknowledged by anybody in the know caused by terms and conditions for teachers, inability to recruit and then maintain teachers in their positions, and the housing crisis. The two key factors that are driving the crisis whereby 91% of schools have experienced teacher recruitment difficulties in the past six months, 61% of schools experienced teacher retention difficulties in the past six months, and yet the government's answer is to suspend career breaks. The TUI in advance before this response by the government was warning, quote, announcing limited measures yet again in relation to career breaks, job sharing and the taking of additional hours will do nothing to tackle the significant problems being experienced in schools across the country. And yet, here we have it. The government's answer to teaching being not sustainable for teachers is to take a measure to make the profession less attractive and ultimately worsen the teacher recruitment and teacher retention crisis. Meaningful action means tackling the housing crisis. It means introducing rent controls to bring rents down to affordable levels. It means building social and genuinely affordable homes on a massive scale. It also means addressing the conditions faced by teachers. It means offering them whole-time jobs when they start their careers, not like the 65% of teachers appointed after 2011 who did not get a contract of full hours upon initial appointment. It means restoring all of the posts immediately, which ensures the smooth running of the schools, while providing promotional opportunities for teachers, which again will help boost retention. This is obvious what the action the government needs to take, but instead you're insisting on blaming teachers for the crisis. Thank you.
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