STUDENTS training to be Irish, Maths, Science and Technology teachers have expressed frustrations that they are not eligible for a Department of Education bursary scheme covering fees and providing a maintenance loan. 

Announced in September 2025, the bursary is intended to address a shortage of teachers in Irish-medium, Maths, Science and Technology subjects.

Students taking an undergraduate education degree in Technology & Design and Maths will have their full fees paid for their four year course. Students studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) in Irish-medium, Physics, Chemistry, Maths, IT or Technology & Design will have their fees paid and will receive a bursary of £12,000 for living costs. 

Students who receive the bursaries are expected to teach in the north for at least two years after graduating.

However, the payments are only due to come into effect in September of this year, meaning that students currently enrolled on those courses will miss out on the money. Course fees for students from Ireland, north and south, are £4,985 per year. 

Aisling McCanney from Omagh is entering her fourth year of an undergraduate degree in Irish-medium education at St Mary's University College on the Falls Road.

"When I first heard about the bursary I thought there would be some provision for people who are already on the course.

"For the most part, this is definitely a good thing. There are lots of people who speak Irish but might not be thinking of a career in Irish. But now there's a chance that more people will pick a career in Irish-medium education. It's good that the government is doing something to support Irish. Irish-medium is the fastest growing sector in the north."

Despite praising the Department's proposal, Aisling said she is frustrated that the bursary won't be accessible to her and her peers.

"I am frustrated that I don't qualify for this bursary. It's hard to accept that students who are already training aren't able to get it.

"We're really dedicated, and we've already shown that we intend to teach in the Irish-medium sector."

Aisling says that cost-of-living in Belfast is also a major impediment to students, and that even with a part-time job as a classroom assistant in her local naíscoil in Omagh, she would struggle to pay the bills in Belfast. She has decided to live at home for her final year. 

"It's not just the fees, it's the rent in Belfast as well. A student house might cost over £1,000 a month in just rent. 

"Lots of people in their final year tend not to live in Belfast anyway. It's a long course and so it's hard to afford the four years of living in Belfast. So it would be great even to get our fees covered."

While praising the introduction of the bursary, Aisling said it felt unfair that those already on the course didn't get anything. 

"Of course it's really important to inspire people to come into the sector, but it's important to support the teachers and student teachers who are in it already. We can't be certain that new people starting degrees will stay in the sector long-term, so it makes sense to support those who are already in it.

"It's great that the Department are doing this for new teachers, but to me it doesn't make any sense that we aren't getting anything and we're already on the course."

A group of students have proposed an alternative arrangement to the Department of Education, which would see those already studying and graduating in 2027, 2028, and 2029 having some of their fees paid.

Keri Teague, President of St Mary's Students' Union, said: "This was initiated by a now second-year student, Ben O'Hagan. He started university last September and was outraged that if he had taken a gap year, he could've had his fees paid."

Keri added that if changes weren't made to the Department's new policy there is a danger that people would only choose certain degrees because their fees were getting paid, whereas those who are currently studying chose those fields because they wanted to. She said this may contribute to the drain on teachers, as opposed to solving it.

"There are consequences to this as well. The reality is, there are people who are only going to be doing this for the sake of it, because their tuition fees are being paid for. Whereas people who are in degrees now might be annoyed that they have missed out on getting financial help, and not want to stay in the north and go somewhere else.

"It's very disheartening. I suppose, but if our proposals to the Department don't go ahead, these changes would have to hit someone, somewhere, at some point.

Keri doesn't anticipate any tension between the new cohort of students starting in September – some of whom will have fees paid – and the current student body, but she does say that she understands current students' grievances. 

"I was a PE student, so I wouldn't ever have benefitted from something like this, but I know that if I were a Maths, Technology or Irish student I would definitely be aggravated by it."

The Department of Education have said that funding is not available to extend the scheme to current undergraduate students.

“The Initial Teacher Education Bursary Scheme is designed specifically to attract more student teachers into subjects with the greatest teacher shortages.

"At a time when the Department of Education faces significant financial challenges, funding is not available to extend the scheme to current undergraduate students and doing so would not increase the number of new entrants to teacher education, which is the fundamental purpose of the scheme.”