Increase in Dublin student numbers causes concern

A DRAMATIC increase in Dublin’s second-level student population will put enormous pressure on teaching resources, it has been warned.

The National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) estimates that there will be a 22 per cent increase in student numbers entering secondary schools in the capital by 2020.

This equates to 3,276 extra students entering the system that the NAPD says will pose a significant challenge to existing teaching resources.

They say principals are concerned whether the right number of teachers will be available to match student subject requirements and they have called for more school resources to be made available.

“Currently there is no relevant data on the types of teachers who will be retiring over the next few years and in particular what subjects they currently teach,

? the NAPD said in a statement.

“This lack of data, coupled with the increased numbers of students entering secondary school by 2020 means there is a risk that there will be a shortage of teachers trained to teach particular subjects.

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A well as the teaching issue, the NAPD said it believes that school resources will also be stretched further with the predicted increase.

“One current area of concern is insufficient ICT resources in many schools, such as no Wi-Fi, and this problem may intensify with increased student numbers,

? the body warns.

“The increase in secondary school enrolments in the years ahead is a more nuanced problem that just more classrooms and more teachers,

? Clive Byrne, Director at the NAPD, added.

“It is also essential that there is the correct match between subjects taught at second level and having the right numbers of teachers to teach those subjects.

“For example, Ireland is becoming a leading player in the development of IT products and services. For this leading position to be sustained and grow, we need sufficient numbers of teachers to teach the stem subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths at secondary level.

“

He added:

“Equally, there are radical plans to alter the current Junior Cert cycle, which will now include short courses such as philosophy, politics, web-design or Chinese.

“To meet this demand, we must have the right fit of qualified teachers to teach these subjects to our increasing numbers of students.

“In short, we must have the right teachers qualified to teach the right subjects. As 2020 draws closer it must be an immediate priority to begin planning for this challenge now.

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