Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 30 Jan 2001

Vol. 529 No. 1

Written Answers. - Teaching Qualifications.

Gerry Reynolds

Question:

1200 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of students who have taken the higher diploma in education in each of the years 1996 to 2000; and the numbers now in full-time teaching who completed the course successfully. [1737/01]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

The most up-to-date figures available on the numbers of graduates from the higher diploma in education are set out in the table below. Figures for 1999 are provisional while figures for 2000 are not yet available.

Data are not available for the number of these graduates who are currently in full-time teaching positions. However, it is possible to obtain an indication of graduates' employment status in April of the year following graduation, through the annual survey conducted by the Higher Education Authority on the first destinations of award recipients in higher education. The table shows the number of higher diploma graduates for the years 1995 to 1999 who participated in the surveys and the number of these who reported that they were employed in teaching.

The total number reporting employment in teaching is further broken down according to location and tenure. It is not possible to determine the employment status of graduates who did not participate in the surveys.

Employment Status of HDip Graduates as extracted from the First Destination Surveys 1995-1999

Year	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
Number of Graduates	814	811	827	854	923
Survey respondents	587	527	564	605	673
Response Rate (%)	72%	65%	68%	71%	73%
Number of respondents reporting employment in teaching
Permanent teaching in Ireland	35	20	17	37	34
Part-time, temporary or substitute teaching in Ireland	348	300	317	311	412
Teaching abroad	58	47	50	39	47
Total respondents employed in teaching	441	367	384	387	493

Note:Figures for 1999 are taken from the preliminary findings of the First Destinations of Award Recipients in Higher Education (1999) and are subject to final verification. The completed report will be published shortly.

Question No. 1201 answered with Question No. 1144.