Vol. 491 No. 7
217 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of remedial teachers who received in-service training in remedial education techniques since they entered employment and in the past five years. [13270/98]
Since the establishment of the in-career development unit in my Department in 1994, in-service training for primary and postprimary teachers was put on a more organised footing which enables relevant data set out below to be provided for the period 1995 to 1997.
The National Programme of Training in Remedial Education for Teachers, provided in six third level institutions, is the main in-service programme for remedial teachers funded by my Department. The number of participants from 1995 to 1997 was 652.
Attendance by remedial teachers at short-term in-service courses funded by my Department for the same period, was:
Summer courses for primary teachers — 255.
Courses/Conferences/Seminars run by the Irish Learning Support Association and other groups in Cork and Waterford — 1,760.
Course on coping with learning difficulties run in Mary Immaculate College of Education, Limerick and St Angela's College of Education, Sligo — 68.
Attendance at courses on learning difficulties-literacy and learning difflculties-maths run by the INTO, and approved and funded by my Department, for the period 1995 to 1997, was 3,142. Though these courses were not targeted at remedial teachers many of the participants would be such.
Data for the period prior to 1995 are unavailable.
