Northern Ireland

Most teaching graduates `in classrooms within six months'

Professor Peter Finn, principal of St Mary's University College. Picture by Hugh Russell
Professor Peter Finn, principal of St Mary's University College. Picture by Hugh Russell Professor Peter Finn, principal of St Mary's University College. Picture by Hugh Russell

TEACHER training is so highly sought after in the north due to the high proportion of graduates earning classroom jobs, a leading educationalist has said.

Professor Peter Finn, principal of St Mary's University College, was responding to a report that suggested too many teachers were being trained.

The Northern Ireland Skills Barometer estimated an oversupply of 140 teachers each year for the next decade.

The Department of Education determines the number of students admitted to teacher training courses. For 2019/20, there will be 580 across four institutions.

Experts noted the new report appeared to treat the north as a closed system for teacher employment.

While there might not be jobs at `home' to cater for everyone, several are employed each year in Britain, the Republic and Middle East.

Prof Finn said as the report referred to forecasts for the local economy only, its conclusion on projected supply of newly qualified teachers was highly nuanced.

"Teaching is nowadays no different from numerous other professional development programmes at university, in an increasingly globalised economy where many graduate teachers choose to seek employment elsewhere in the UK or in EU countries as well as in international schools all over the world, where pay and conditions are better than in the local economy," he said.

"Furthermore, the report has no regard for a future needs analysis in relation to the local school system where class sizes are increasing and SEN provision is under-resourced. These factors point to a long term requirement for more teachers locally if educational underachievement is to be tackled effectively.

"The bottom line for St Mary's is that consistently 97 per cent of our graduates in teacher education are working in the profession six months after completing their BEd degree or PGCE programme. Therefore places on teacher education courses at the college are still highly sought after."

The former minister with responsibility for higher education Stephen Farry, meanwhile, has again questioned the cost of training teachers in the north.

When minister, he said he believed the existing system of separate teacher training providers was unsustainable.

The executive, however, blocked a plan of his to cut a £2.2 million subsidy that St Mary's and Stranmillis received on top of core funding.

The 'premia', which were introduced by another former minister Sir Reg Empey, means the cost of training a teacher in the north is 40 per cent higher than in England.

However, the funding model changed in England meaning institutions that used to receive similar payments could charge fees at a much higher level than the north and there would be no more caps on student numbers.

Dr Farry was warned cutting the premia would sound the "death knell" for the institutions.

The Alliance Party member maintained it was not his intention to use the cut to "force through some agenda", insisting it was simply a matter of budget pressures.

He posted a response to the barometer report on Twitter.

"In NI, it costs more to train a teacher than an engineer, yet we have too many teachers but too few engineers. Employers highlight growing skills gaps," he said.

"Premia payments to training colleges could otherwise fund 200 more graduates every year. Priorities?"