The six-year route to qualifying as a second-level teacher is a long, winding and expensive road. Dr Melanie Ní Dhuinn, assistant professor of teacher education at Trinity College Dublin, is the co-author of a research paper on the impact of the cost of the PME on would-be teachers. This, in turn, is negatively impacting on the attractiveness of entry to the teaching profession and thereafter on teacher supply. Keane’s own research found a significant decrease in the participation rates of entrants to teacher education postgraduate programmes from poorer backgrounds in tandem with a significant increase in entrants from more affluent groups. The department estimates the number of places overall on teacher education programmes will jump from about 1,650 last year to 1,900 this year.

Source: The Irish Times February 05, 2019 00:00 UTC