36 Additional Teaching Posts Announced

Education Minister, John O'Dowd, has announced an additional 36 recently qualified teachers are to be employed on fixed-term contracts to help raise standards in literacy and numeracy.

In October 2012, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister unveiled six Signature Projects under the Delivering Social Change programme.

At the time, it was said that 230 recently qualified teachers would be employed on fixed-term contracts to help deliver tuition to children who are currently struggling to achieve expected levels in literacy and numeracy.

The Education Minister is now announcing an increase in the number of jobs available.

Mr O'Dowd said: "Raising educational standards and tackling disadvantage is a key priority for me as Education Minister and for the Executive as a whole.

"The employment of recently qualified teachers on two-year fixed-term contracts as part of the Delivering Social Change Programme will help us to achieve this as it will have a direct impact on the educational outcomes of many pupils. By targeting those who are at risk of underachieving, and by focussing on the core skills of literacy and numeracy, we will ensure more young people can achieve to their full potential.

"Importantly, the scheme will also allow many of our recently qualified teachers to gain valuable experience. The first tranche of posts is being advertised in the press this week and I would encourage those eligible to apply."

The Minister added that 21 of the posts will be for primary schools, while the remaining 15 will be available at post-primary education.

Further details of when the next tranche of posts will be advertised and which schools will benefit will be announced in the next few weeks.

Recent graduate teachers will be defined as those who have qualified in the period from June 2010, up to and including, the June 2013 cohort of graduate teachers who are not in a permanent teaching post. The applicant, on taking up the post, must be a registered teacher with GTCNI.

(JP/CD)