To ask the Minister of Education to detail any consideration he gave to expanding the Initial Teacher Education bursary scheme to other subject areas.

As announced, the Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Bursary Scheme will apply to new entrants of relevant subjects, beginning their ITE programmes from September 2026 onwards.

The purpose of the pilot Bursary Scheme and the basis of both business case approval and the proposed evaluation of the pilot is to increase the number of both applications and enrolments in ITE in post-primary subjects which are experiencing the most acute teacher shortages; Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Computing, Technology and Design and Irish-Medium Education. The decision to prioritise these subjects was informed by the Recruitment and Retention Survey carried out by my Department in 2024, along with both current and historical ITE applications data provided by the Higher Education Institutions, who deliver the ITE programmes.

Extending eligibility of the scheme to subjects other than those selected would not increase either applications or enrolments in those critical areas experiencing teacher shortages and would not, therefore, be deemed a Value for Money option that would fulfil the objectives of the pilot.

The pilot scheme will be subject to a full evaluation and future strategic workforce planning will continue to monitor teacher supply across all subject areas. This will help identify emerging needs and inform any necessary adjustments to the scheme’s remit to ensure it remains responsive to the areas of greatest shortage.