Secondary schools forced to hire unqualified staff due to ‘unprecedented’ teacher shortages, say principals

Second-level schools are being forced to use unqualified staff, retirees and students to fill gaps due to acute shortages of teachers, principals have warned.

Paul Crone, director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), said teacher shortages were the “worst they have ever been” and would affect the quality of education for students across a range of subjects.

“Schools are open and students are attending classes, but principals tell us they are still reporting significant shortages of qualified teachers,” he said.

“They are putting temporary arrangements in place, just so there is a teacher in front of the class. What is really worrying is these vacancies will remain unfilled for the whole school year.”

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Mr Crone was speaking in advance of the associatuion’s annual conference in Galway, which will hear contributions on a range of issues including teacher supply and pressure on school leaders.

Among the stopgap solutions being used by schools to address teacher shortages include hiring people with degrees in a subject, but no teaching qualification, using them as unqualified substitutes.

Others include relying on retirees, trainees or sharing a qualified teacher across a wider number of classes for shorter periods.

“I was principal for a long time and have seen cycles of oversupply and undersupply but it has never been as critical as it is now. I have never seen the shortages this prolonged and severe,” Mr Crone said.

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A number of factors are behind the shortages such as teachers taking up posts abroad, cost-of-living challenges in urban areas, an increase in early retirements or graduates taking up jobs in the private sector, according to the association.

Mr Crone said there were a number of solutions including financial incentives to make it more attractive for students to take postgraduate masters in education and allowing trainees to work earlier during their studies.

A survey by the association, meanwhile, indicates that a majority of principals believe working conditions have made the job unsustainable, with many describing the past two years as the most stressful in their careers to date.

The poll of 275 school leaders, conducted earlier this year, found schools are struggling to deal with legacy issues from the pandemic such as learning loss and increased anxiety among many post-primary students.

Almost 75 per cent said they were spending nearly 30 hours a week on administration alone, while 61 per cent believed the current conditions under which they were working made the job unsustainable.

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Association president Rachel O’Connor said schools were not equipped or trained to deliver therapeutic and counselling solutions to students in need of support.

“To date, counselling solutions have been provided on a goodwill basis by our guidance counsellors and year heads, among other groups. This is not sustainable, and students deserve better. The HSE has a role to play in addressing this shortcoming and in ensuring the students are getting the services they require,” she said.