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University graduates are hesitant about joining the teaching profession in Northern Ireland due to a lack of investment in education and a failure to resolve staff pay disputes, a union leader will tell a conference.
Victor Coert, the president of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) in Northern Ireland, will also say that funding shortfalls and “unacceptable workloads” are contributing to a sense of injustice within the workforce.
He will say that teachers in the region are being paid a starting salary lower than other areas of the UK.
The ASCL NI annual conference is taking place in Belfast on Friday.
Mr Coert will tell delegates: “The pay dispute continues to be a major difficulty for both ASCL members and teachers across Northern Ireland.
“The workforce in England, Scotland and Wales have settled their pay dispute while our members and workforce here in Northern Ireland wait in line.
“The starting salary for teachers in Northern Ireland is approximately £6,000 less than the rest of the UK.
“Competitors are offering graduates in Northern Ireland opportunities we simply cannot rival.
“We are losing our potential workforce year after year.”
Mr Coert will also say: “Transformational leadership is required from everyone in this room – school leaders, civil servants and all other stakeholders.
“We all need to visualise and work towards the difference we want to see in Northern Ireland education in the very near future, committing ourselves to creative solutions.”
Teachers have been involved in industrial action in recent months amid ongoing disputes about wages and conditions.
Several unions have announced that their members will hold a half-day strike next Wednesday, action which is expected to cause significant disruption to schools.
Another four full days of strike action are planned for next spring.
The ASCL, which represents school and college leaders, has more than 200 members in Northern Ireland across more than 80 schools.
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