Vol. 429 No. 4
145 Mrs. Doyle asked the Minister for Education if she will allow unqualified, but experienced, primary teachers who give invaluable service as substitutes to partake in inservice training courses; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
In-service courses for teachers conducted under the aegis of my Department or through grant-aid from my Department are intended to serve qualified teachers only.
In addition to these courses, my Department each year approves certain inservice courses conducted by external bodies under established criteria. The course details and content are firstly submitted to the Department for approval by the various organisations who wish to provide such courses.
The question of who attends these latter courses is a matter for the organising bodies. It is made clear to the organisers, however, that optimum benefit may not be derived by participants if the attendance at a course exceeds 50.
