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The Demand for Overseas Teachers set to surge by 2010
By Guy Mulvaney.
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Despite the declining number of pupils in primary schools in 2005 [there were 50 000 less enrolments than the previous year] and record numbers of British teachers in service– dependence on overseas teachers from countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa has increased significantly.
In a Department for Education and Skills [DfES] statistical first release [SFR 18/2006] containing information on the school workforce in England -it was revealed that there are 435 400 teachers in the UK- of which 11 800 are overseas trained.
The numbers of overseas teachers have increased six-fold since 1996 when there were only 2500 overseas teachers working in British classrooms.
Taking current trends into consideration- an estimated 16 450 overseas trained teachers will be required to fill the gaps in British classrooms by January 2010- a 39 % increase on current figures. [The gravity of the situation can be recognized by the fact that this figure equates to the entire annual demand for trainee teachers in countries like South Africa.]
Contributing factors for the heightened demand:
• Drastic increases in daily absences-mainly due to stress related sicknesses. SFR 18/2006 indicated that 302 300 full -time and parttime teachers took sick leave last year. Each teacher on average missed 9.3 days of work- resulting in the government losing 2.8 million days and resulting in local education authorities paying out £420 million to teaching agencies who mainly employ overseas trained teachers.
• Chronic shortages in key-subjects and certain geographical regions. These shortages are especially acute in maths, science and modern languages and in specific geographical areas like inner-city comprehensive schools.
• The impending and significant teacher exodus due to retirement. In a report as far back is 2004 the London School of Economics [LSE] warned that 50 % of the teacher workforce is set to retire within the next 10 years. The report revealed that 40% of teachers are aged 45-55 and those over 55 accounts for 6% of the workforce.
• Population growth rates. The UK reached a milestone this year as the population breached the 60 million mark-thereby making Britain the most densely populated country in the world. The country faces a colossal strain on public services -including education-due to unprecedented mass migration- particularly of Eastern Europeans citizens from EU accession states. This figure-mainly Poles- is set to rise to 600 000 as the second wave of migration begins to unfold and families are set to join parents who have established themselves in the UK. Romania and Hungary are set to join the EU in 2007.
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The Romanian government pre-warned the British authorities this month that 350000 of her citizens have made applications for work permits. Undoubtedly the looming teacher shortages in the UK will have a ripple effect as the surge in demand will significantly increase the pull dynamic thereby luring educators [particularly key subject teachers] into British classrooms.
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The impending shortages should serve as a ‘wake-up call’ for source countries to urgently enact vital legislation and thereby protect their teacher workforce - thereby ensuring their pupils the future that they deserve.
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