The new year is underway: 37,000 teachers recruited, 56,000 special needs supply teachers confirmed

The new academic year, 2026/2027, gets underway with over 36,000 new teachers taking up permanent posts and the confirmation of 56,000 temporary staff in special needs support roles. These are some of the key figures announced by the Ministry of Education.

Before the start of the 2026/27 academic year, the Ministry of Education and Merit had, by 31 August, completed all permanent appointments of teachers to general, support and Catholic religious education posts, totalling 37,430. On the same date last academic year, the number of permanent appointments stood at 29,685. Appointments made from regional lists – established for the first time this year under a specific regulation – also contributed to this result. The posts not filled on a permanent basis, however, relate to teaching subjects for which the ranking lists have been exhausted.

As at 31 August, almost all substitute teaching posts – totalling around 118,000 – had also been filled. Furthermore, as at the same date, a total of 55,814 supply teachers in support roles were confirmed at the request of families, almost 10,000 more than in the 2025/2026 academic year. All teachers employed on permanent and fixed-term contracts have been in post since 1 September 2026.

In addition, 342 headteachers have been appointed to vacant posts across the various regions, and they too will take up their posts on 1 September 2026. The recruitment of 12,284 administrative, technical and auxiliary staff is also nearing completion.

The timing of the operations, which has enabled all the staff concerned to take up their posts at their assigned schools, allows for their full participation in all the planning, coordination and training activities currently taking place at the schools and will ensure that all teachers are present in the classroom from the start of term.