Concerns that teaching is increasingly becoming a “middle-class” profession has prompted a new Government initiative to attract more school-leavers from deprived areas.
Minister for Education Richard Bruton is due to announce plans on Monday to widen access to teacher education programme by supporting up to 120 new teachers from under-represented backgrounds.
These include people from disadvantaged backgrounds, students with disabilities and members of the Traveller community.
The lack of diversity among teachers has been growing issue in recent times, with research by academics at NUI Galway showing that most teachers are white, Irish, female and middle class.
Teaching has become even more homogenous in recent years, with the proportion of trainee teachers whose parents are more affluent employers or managers jumping from 12 to 19 per cent in recent years.
Experts say moves to change the postgraduate in secondary teaching qualification from one year to two is turning less well-off students away from the profession.
The abolition of a grant to cover living costs and rent for postgraduate students in recent years is cited as another factor.
Diversity
Mr Bruton said he will allocate almost €2.5 million to teacher education providers for a range of new projects to attract a diverse range of young teachers. The projects include:
* Targeting students in disadvantaged schools from junior cycle onwards and supporting them in key areas such as Irish and maths;
* Direct financial supports to target students in the form of scholarships or bursaries;
* Promoting pathways into teaching including “taster” initial teacher education programmes;
* A new pathway from further education into post-primary teacher-training.
Along with these measures, Mr Bruton said the recent reinstatement of the postgraduate maintenance grant will benefit some 1,100 postgraduate students.
Mr Bruton said ensuring there is greater diversity in teaching will provide more role models for disadvantaged students and demonstrate there are pathways open to them to realise their potential through education.
In addition, Mr Bruton said ensuring there are more teachers in place with personal understanding of the challenges these groups face is also important in boosting students’ outcomes.
“We are lucky in Ireland to have such a dedicated and committed teaching profession.
“Our teachers and school leaders will continue to play a pivotal role in helping children to achieve their potential,” Mr Bruton said in a statement.
“Today’s announcement will develop pathways for people from underrepresented groups, in particular students from socio-economically disadvantaged background, students with a disability, and members of the Traveller community, to become teachers.”
He said new teachers from diverse backgrounds will be will be role models and help others to follow.
“As teachers they will have the potential to inspire a new generation of students to aspire towards higher education. Initiatives such as these have the potential to really help to break the cycle of disadvantage for many communities,” he said.
