Anyone can teach anything in schools – just like they did a century ago

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Second-Level,Norma-Foley,Department-Of-Education

In the early days of the State about half of second-level teachers were unqualified to teach their subjects. How much has really changed?

The lasting impact of the long period of church domination of our education system attracts much attention in academic writing and public discourse. Points are made to and fro, criticisms offered and counterarguments articulated. Usually the debate centres on issues of control and ethos. Often ignored is an attitude to teacher professionalism that prospered during the last century.

Sharp rise in first-class degrees may be linked to student expectations and competition among universities For well more than a decade now, the Irish education system has been facing a teacher supply crisis. This has impacted at both primary and post-primary level. At post-primary level there is the additional difficulty of ensuring a supply of teachers in each subject area. It is important to point out that forecasting the exact uptake year on year in the various optional subject areas is quite difficult.

Some progress has been made in recent times but the process is incomplete. The casualisation of the profession, whereby teachers are employed on less than full-time contracts, has threatened the status of the profession and impacted on the attractiveness of teaching as a career. Understandably, the likelihood that after up to six years of studying to become a teacher, most have little chance of being offered a full-time contract after graduating has diverted many towards other employment.

Meanwhile, many young people are being taught by inadequately qualified personnel. Yet, one could read many school inspection reports without seeing any reference to the problem. It is reasonable to ask whether the department considers “out-of-field” teaching to be a problem or is the official view the same as it was a century ago, namely, that anyone can teach anything.

Second-Level Norma-Foley Department-Of-Education

 

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