How about some sort of system to teach people to read, write and count while they’re at school to begin with.

I love it , “the majority of teachers I know are worn out by summer and need to recharge their batteries” well the majority of people I know working normal jobs are also “worn out ” by summer too only they don’t get 3 months off to recharge their bleedin batteries, do me a favour !

Considering a large amount of TD’s are teachers, they’ll never buy into that! Teachers are still the most powerful self interest group in the country!

The standard of teaching in Ireland is not falling; it has was always been poor! Most likely to do with the wrong people getting the nod for jobs ahead of the talented ones. Decades of mutual back slapping between church and state have destroyed what little chance we had of developing a progressive educational system, resulting in the false assumption that rote learning and an antiquated curriculum are still relevant. You will always find people falling thru the cracks, a good system catches them before they fall too far.

I think the government need to get tough with the teachers. No more 3 months holidays and put the unemployed into the empty schools to be taught. ( summertime only I know but it’s start. )

Is there a high correlation between illiterate unemployed people and disruptive pupils in school who needed help from fast disappearing SNA s? We re gonna make the situation worse with larger classes and lack of resource teachers.

As you would now come to expect in an article such as this the first 10 comments are about issues that are so oblique to the subject they really have nothing to do with it. The simple fact is that many people for various reasons none of which have to do with teachers holidays make their way through the education system and emerge with the deficiencies covered in the article. The article points out that most benefit is gained from addressing those in the available workforce with these issues.

You can extend the school year all you like but there will be no net gain in output. The majority of teachers i know work hard and are exhausted come summer and need to recharge the batteries. Extend the year means less effort during the regular term. In running terms, the longer the race – the slower the pace. Im not defending the minority of teachers who are not up to scratch and need to be moved on. Have you a little chip on your shoulder maybe rodrigo?

@ Robert, how would you apportion teachers in the scenario you outline? Would every teacher, both primary and secondary, be required to teach the unemployed during the summer? Would they be remunerated for this work or would be included as part of their basic salary. What would happen to this system you propose when unemployment declines? Secondary and primary school teachers are trained to teach children not adults, so would you propose extra training for existing teachers to meet the needs of unemployed adults? Many schools run summer camps on school premises during the summer so what structures would you envisage youth and adult courses running simultaneously?

Who’s begrudging? And your only example was that wages aren’t high enough. If that’s all it takes to enthuse and energise you then that’s a sad way to make a living.

@ Anel looks likes Enda has just put you right in you’re box…