Leitrim Cllr warns incentives could drain teachers from North West to Dublin
Leitrim councillor says any recruitment scheme must take a nationwide approach to avoid worsening shortages in rural areas
Leitrim councillor and north-west-based teacher James Gilmartin has warned against a potential incentives programme that could draw more teachers from the North West to the capital.
The warning comes after Department of Education officials began considering new initiatives, including targeted bursaries for teachers, to address recruitment challenges faced by schools, particularly in the Dublin region.
The independent councillor told Ocean FM that such a move could see young teachers leave the North West in favour of better pay in the capital.
“I would tentatively welcome it if it is going to attract more people into the teaching profession, where there is obviously a serious issue with securing resource teachers, substitute teachers and the like, and many schools are missing out as a result,” he said.
However, he believes that any initiative to incentivise teachers must be implemented with a full national approach in mind.
“It can’t be at the expense of other parts of the country. If you are attracting people to Dublin with higher wages, or however they plan to implement it, it is obviously going to have negative effects on areas like the North West,” he added.