Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 December 2025
182. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a review is being carried out of the projected teacher numbers required at primary and post primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67791/25]
View answerEnsuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for this Government.
The Department is currently producing a range of data on teacher supply to improve the understanding of the teacher supply landscape. My Department has recently published three reports: an analysis of the Teaching Council register, unmet demand in post-primary schools and on substitute teachers.
My Department is also undertaking other teacher supply data analysis including teacher demand and supply projections and an annual analysis of the teaching workforce based on analysis of teacher payroll data. These reports are expected to be published in early 2026.??
Pupil enrolment projections are a key tool for education planning in Ireland, offering insights into school attendance trends over the next 20 years. In March 2024 the Projections of full-time enrolment Primary and Post Primary level 2023 – 2042 report on enrolment projections was published (available here [www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/collections/projections/]). This report, forms part of a regular series by my Department and updates the 2021 national and regional projections which informs teacher demand and supply modelling.
The revised enrolment projection’s report will inform the upcoming statistical projections on annual teacher demand and supply at primary and post-primary levels. The most recent analysis of teacher supply and demand Developing a Teacher Demand and Supply Model for Ireland 2021-2038 A Technical Report was published in March 2021.?(see [assets.gov.ie/static/documents/developing-a-teacher-demand-and-supply-model-for-ireland-2021-2038-a-technical-report.pdf]).
The data produced by my Department shows there are more qualified teachers than ever working in schools with analysis of teacher payroll data from March 2025 showing over 79,000 teachers employed nationwide in our schools with over 43,000 at primary level including special schools and 36,000 in post-primary schools.?Over?97% of ?allocated teaching posts are filled.??
Demand for teacher education remains strong, with 3,600 newly qualified teachers registered in 2025. Salaries range from €44,879 to €85,000, and CAO first-preference applications for teaching programmes have increased steadily.
My Department continues to engage closely with stakeholders to address teacher supply and retention challenges. I am committed to considering further measures to strengthen the teaching workforce to ensure that schools have the support needed to provide an excellent education for every student.
