Vol. 489 No. 6
676 Ms Clune asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of substitute teachers employed with the Department's primary schools on the unqualified substitute rate; and the plans, if any, the Department has to provide evening courses in the local universities to facilitate arts graduates to retrain and obtain a recognised qualification to enable them to teach on a qualified rate in the primary schools. [8592/98]
A teacher is employed by the board of management of the school in which he or she works.
In the week ended 10 April 1998, there were 449 persons paid at untrained substitute teachers' pay rates.
There are no plans to provide university evening courses to enable arts graduates obtain a primary teaching qualification. However, post-graduate training courses to enable degree holders qualify as primary teachers are provided from time to time by the colleges of education for primary teachers; one such course ran from January 1995 to June 1996 and a further course is being run in the period January 1997 to June 1998. Discussions are currently ongoing with the authorities of the colleges with a view to running this course again in the near future. A public announcement will be made by my Department when this matter has been finalised.
