New Leaving Cert science redevelopment project fails to address ‘crisis' in staff shortages

Irish Independent

28-04-2025

The ASTI is Ireland's main second level teachers union and represents 20,200 teachers across community schools, community colleges, comprehensive schools and voluntary secondary schools.
From September 2025 to 2029 new and revised Leaving cert subject specifications are set to be introduced on a phased basis across the entire Senior Cycle curriculum as part of the Senior Cycle Redevelopment Programme.
In response to the revised science subject specifications, half of all principals and deputy principals have said their schools do not have enough science laboratories to meet the number of students in their schools.
Additionally, 47% said they have teacher supply problems for science subjects and 44% believe their science labs are not well equipped.
Aaron Wolfe is the principal at Coláiste Éamann Rís secondary school in Cork City. He told the Irish Independent that despite progress in funding for science lab equipment and curricular reform, many schools, including his, do not have the space needed to benefit from them.
Mr. Wolfe's school is due to have an extension built to add two new science labs to the school which will bring them up to four labs, however, he said they are still at stage one of the process and do not have planning permission presently.
He said: 'We have a school of nearly 800 students and using two labs makes it difficult for timetabling, you're reduced in the amount of time you can do the practical elements of the course, it makes it challenging and we wouldn't be the only school in the country who are facing these kinds of challenges with regards to science.'
Speaking about the availability of equipment Mr. Wolfe said: 'The government did launch funding to buy science lab equipment the problem is if you don't actually have the room or the storage facilities for that equipment, we have very small storerooms in the school, two storerooms with the two science labs.
'Science for us is not underfunded in terms of equipment, it's getting the access to the equipment, it's more rooms we need.'
He continued: "Education in this country is not properly funded then you have the teacher shortage, it's trying to even get the science teachers to be able to actually teach the subjects and these are all added burdens to the management of schools.'
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According to the ASTI/RedC survey, almost three-quarters of second level school principals work more than 50 hours per week and over a third work for 56 or more hours.
The survey revealed that unsustainable workloads and a 'relentless' stream of new initiatives and policies is preventing schools leaders from focusing on key leadership duties, particularly in terms of leading teaching and learning in their schools.
Mr. Wolfe said: 'There's a crisis there in education because no one wants to actually become a principal anymore because they just see the burden on principals to meet all the legislative demands that are being put in place.
"Any new initiative that is being rolled out by the Department of Education is being put on 'well the principal can do this' and you have a constant stream of circulars arriving into schools of extra work that the principal is required to do and very little of those circulars have to do with teaching and learning.'
He added: "On top of all this you have this curriculum reform, it seems to be that they're pushing on with reform whether it's needed or whether it's wanted or not but the fact is we don't actually have teachers to go into the classrooms and teach this new curriculum in the first place.
"It makes it challenging for the teachers but teachers will make do but I suppose we're reaching a stage where we shouldn't have to make do, that we have this new course and any sort of change to the curriculum should be properly funded.'
"It shouldn't be up to schools to find work arounds, we should just have the facilities that we need deliver a top class education.'
Mr. Wolfe said he believes there is a crisis in Ireland in that there are not enough young people going into the teaching profession which he says is evident in the job advertisements being put online as the number of applicants have fallen or there are not applicants at all.
He shared that staff shortages in schools are compounding the issue and that aside from science teacher shortages, guidance councillors are also in short supply.
He said: "For guidance councillor positions, I've had no applications, I'm going to have to re-advertise for it. We're a city centre school, we have a fantastic WSC, great place to work, but we have no applicants because guidance councillors don't exist out there and now there's a mental health crisis in this country but we don't have guidance councillors, we don't have enough guidance councillors to go into the schools to fill these positions, that's a problem.'
Applications for a guidance councillor position had closed on Friday, April 11, 2025 with no applicants, Mr Wolfe said he has had to re-advertise for it and that the same position was left vacant last year as they were unable to fill it.