EducationOpinion

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

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

A century ago about half the teachers in our secondary schools were totally unqualified for the role. Photograph: iStock

Brian Fleming
Mon Apr 29 2024 - 17:00

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.

For example, 100 years ago, about half the teachers in our secondary schools were totally unqualified for the role. Gradually, the situation improved, although qualified personnel were regularly required to teach a subject without having the necessary qualifications. TJ McElligott, a teacher in the Dublin region and regular commentator on matters regarding education, summarised the situation in an article entitled “Anybody May Teach Anything (and probably does)” in The Irish Times in 1953). The following is an extract:

“It is March 16th, 1944. Somewhere in Ireland a teacher is required. The advertisement in that day’s paper reads: ‘Secondary teacher required. South of Ireland. Major subjects: Irish, English, Geography, Drawing (through Irish), History. Other subjects: Maths, Latin, French, Commerce and Singing. Also supervise games. State qualifications, experience, results, also lowest salary required.’”

Even in this case, where the services of a qualified person were being sought, the successful applicant would have been expected to teach “out-of-field”. Throughout the 20th century, the Department of Education ignored this situation. Analysts will offer the defence that secondary schools (as distinct from those in the vocational and community school sectors) were private institutions and the State had no powers in the matter. That’s as may be, but there is little sign that the department expressed any concern that it was quite common for young people to be taught by unqualified staff.

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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. Indeed, over the years, there have been shortages in some of these subjects, usually short term. What defines the current reality is that the range of subjects experiencing serious shortages is wide and extends to compulsory subjects.

For example, almost every post-primary student takes mathematics, so forecasting teacher need in that area should be straightforward. More than a decade ago, Ní Ríordáin and Hannigan found that 48 per cent of those teaching mathematics were unqualified to do so. By 2021, this figure had fallen to 25 per cent, an improvement but far from satisfactory.

Nobody could credibly argue that the response of the department to the teacher supply crisis has been vigorous, much less effective. There have been many missteps and policy failings along the way. These included the decision in December 2010 to introduce a lower salary scale for newly appointed teachers. Also, at this time the number of promotional opportunities for teachers was reduced.

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. The extension by an additional year of the teacher education programme also doubled the cost of securing the qualification. For those who have qualified, the lack of permanent contracts and reduction in promotional opportunities prompted many to seek teaching positions abroad. Little effort has been made to make it attractive for them to return.

Notable also was the slow response of authorities to the crisis. In 2012, the Sahlberg report on initial teacher provision commented on the failure to address the issue of teacher supply in this country. This key observation did not elicit a timely response from either the department or the Teaching Council.

In 2013, then minister Ruairí Quinn asked the council to advise his department on the teacher supply issue. An interim report was issued at the end of 2014 and a final one in 2017. This prompted the establishment of the teacher supply steering group, which has undertaken some useful work. The creation of additional places in teacher education institutions, relaxing restrictions on job-shares and retired teachers undertaking additional work, the establishment of substitute teacher supply panels, expediting the registration process for newly qualified teachers and those working abroad, and the provision of upskilling in subject areas are all useful initiatives. The fact that schools are continuing to experience serious difficulties with teacher supply illustrates that these changes are insufficient.

The description of such initiatives in this newspaper as “sticking plaster solutions” is a reasonable one, in my view. Other steps smack of authorities wanting to be seen to do something. Teacher sharing at post-primary schools was tried in 2019/20 and failed. Anyone with experience of the complexities of school timetabling would have anticipated that outcome. Yet, the Minister announced an updated version of this approach before the start of the current school year. It’s hardly a surprise that it has failed again.

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.

Brian Fleming is a retired post-primary school principal

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