The ongoing housing supply crisis is having a growing and disproportionate affect on teachers.
It was revealed that are over 1,000 unfilled teaching vacancies being advertised on the Education Posts website.
This includes 643 posts for primary schools, and 456 vacancies in secondary schools.
Independent TD for Laois Offaly, Carol Nolan said the situation “may yet end up causing more long-term damage to children’s education than the school closures brought about during the covid-19 lockdowns.
“The problem during covid was that we could not get children into schools. The problem now is that we cannot get teachers into the schools.
“This is a direct consequence of the catastrophic handling of the housing market; the upward spiral in rents, the persistent cost of living crisis and the gradual deterioration in living standards which is making emigration an attractive but reluctant option.
“In this respect the Government is proving itself more dangerous and more of a threat to education that the virus.
“The fact is that we had a couple of years during covid when huge damage was caused to children and young adults’ education. But there was always going to be an inevitable end-point to that.
“The housing crisis however shows no signs of slowing down and it has been going on for nearly a decade now. In addition to this the pressure on rents remains unbearable and unaffordable.
“Without major interventions around tax breaks, construction reliefs and escalated supply of social and affordable housing the children of Ireland may yet return to classrooms taught remotely by teachers who just cannot afford to live in their communities.
“This is a major crisis and it needs urgent prioritisation.”
SEE ALSO – Planning permission sought for a new residential development on the Laois Carlow border
