A South East TD says the current disparity between teachers' pay is a huge contributing factor to the teacher shortage crisis.
Sinn Fein's Kathleen Funchion believes it's difficult to retain teachers in the sector when Irish teachers are in demand abroad.
The Carlow/Kilkenny Deputy says the shortage has implications across the sector both primary and post primary.
And she told the Education Minister that something must be done:
"For me, I don't think it's really rocket science, I think it's fairly simple as to why there is an issue around teacher shortages and it's the pay and inequality. If you look at the current situation we have in this country, there is such a disparity between teachers pay and I think that's such a huge a contributing factor to the teachers shortage"
