A meeting has taken place between Minister for Education Norma Foley and teacher education colleges on a proposal that final-year students training to be teachers play a greater role in supporting schools during the staffing crisis.
The talks have been described as "positive". The minister's view is that students are part of, but not the solution, and it is important that excess pressure is not put on them.
500 post-graduate primary education students at Hibernia College in Dublin are due to finish for holidays this Friday, regarded as a significant number of students becoming available to provide cover.
The staffing crisis has resulted in one principal running a school from her kitchen table today. Karen Jordan is the latest staff member