Cooney Questions Teacher Shortage Policy

Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Cooney has urged the Minister for Education to consider recognising Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) graduates as suitable substitute teachers for junior and infant classes in primary schools.

Raising the issue in a parliamentary question, Deputy Cooney pointed to a recent Irish Times editorial (July 8, 2025), which stated that “almost all primary schools… had to employ unqualified individuals without teaching qualifications as substitutes in the past year.”

He said the shortage of qualified substitute teachers across Ireland is putting pressure on schools and suggested that ECCE graduates could help ease the burden in the early years of primary education.

“ECCE graduates are trained to work with young children and could offer vital classroom support, especially at a time when schools are being forced to rely on unqualified substitutes,” Deputy Cooney said. “We need a practical solution to an ongoing crisis.”

In response, the Minister for Education Helen McEntee, TD, said that teacher registration and qualification standards are set by the Teaching Council, which regulates the profession under the Teaching Council Acts 2001–2015.

She said that current Department policy requires all substitute teachers to be qualified and registered as primary or post-primary teachers, and that those standards were developed through consultation and based on national education priorities.

The Minister added that while the role of ECCE professionals in early years settings is acknowledged, only those who meet the Teaching Council’s professional accreditation standards—outlined in Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education—can be registered to teach in primary schools.

Deputy Cooney said he intends to continue raising the matter, stating, “The system needs more flexibility. ECCE graduates would bring a huge amount to the table here when it comes to the latest primary school curriculum, supporting schools to embed appropriate wellbeing strategies, designing and facilitating play-based learning, contributing specialist knowledge to curriculum planning and delivery, helping to bridge the gap between preschool and early primary education.”

He continued, “They are already trusted daily with children at pre-school level, we should at least explore how their expertise might be used to support the junior classes during staffing shortages. It is a strategic and logical move that clearly supports much of what is in the new curriculum, and I do question the agenda behind why this would be discounted.”

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