Sinn Féin spokesperson on Education, Sorca Clarke TD, has said that the government’s continued failure to address the housing crisis is failing all of those in the education sector, from teachers to pupils.

She described reports this morning of a school in Dublin’s failure to be able to employ teachers as a result of the housing crisis as a ‘shocking indictment of government housing policy’.

Teachta Clarke said:

“Reports this morning of a school in Dublin being unable to employ teachers is a shocking indictment of government housing policy.

“This is not an isolated issue. Schools across the State are struggling to employ teachers because teachers are leaving for positions abroad. Sinn Féin have been highlighting this issue now for some time, yet government have sat on their hands.

“Workers across the public sector – from teachers, to nurses, our firefighters, our Defence Forces and Gardaí – are leaving jobs they love because they cannot afford to work in them. These are jobs that once provided a good income and a good quality of life.

“Yet government continues to disrespect each and every one of these workers by failing to tackle sky-high rents and runaway house prices.

“Teachers will continue to leave in their droves until this is addressed and it is our schools and pupils who are suffering the consequences.”