University places for student teachers at lowest level in a decade

There will be 13 fewer places for prospective teachers for courses beginning in September 2023

The number of university places for new student teachers in NI has been cut by the Department of Education (DE) to its lowest level in about a decade.

The department said the decision "was made in light of the current service-wide budgetary context".

There will be 13 fewer places for prospective teachers for courses beginning in September.

In 2022-23 there were 580 new places on initial teacher education courses, but that has come down to 567 for 2023-24.

There are four universities in Northern Ireland which provide a range of teaching qualifications and education degrees.

They are Stranmillis University College, St Mary's University College, Queen's University and Ulster University.

In total, there are about 1,450 students taking initial teacher training across the four universities every year.

While the four are funded by the Department for the Economy (DfE), it is the Department of Education which sets the number of student teachers they admit.

The Department of Education bases that intake figure on budget considerations, but also calculates how many teachers Northern Ireland is likely to need in the coming years.

Since 2014-15, DE has decided that the universities should admit 580 students every year between them.

There was a one-year exception in 2021 when more were admitted after changes to A-level results during the Covid pandemic.

The Department of Education bases its intake figure on budget considerations, but also calculates how many teachers Northern Ireland is likely to need in the coming years

But there will be only 567 new student places across the four universities for courses beginning in September 2023.

That will mainly mean that Queen's University and Ulster University will admit fewer postgraduate students aiming to become teachers.

BBC News NI understands that DfE funding to Stranmillis and St Mary's has been cut, but despite that they have decided not to reduce the number of students they will admit.

The Department for the Economy has cut its funding to universities and further education colleges in 2023/24.

Both Queen's and Ulster University have previously warned that cuts to student places would lead to more young people leaving Northern Ireland to study elsewhere.

A spokesperson for DE said the 2023 cut in student teacher numbers "was made in light of the current service-wide budgetary context and was agreed by DfE".

"Institutions may, however, recruit additional students on a 'fee-only' basis," they continued.

"Analytical evidence also indicates a future oversupply of newly qualified teachers in NI due to falling teacher demand (notwithstanding some anecdotal evidence of a shortage of teachers in certain post-primary subjects), which will continue to be a consideration in the decision-making process and within the context of wider strategic workforce planning."