John Bruton
Question:434 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason for the refusal to refund the cost of a masters in education to a person (details supplied) in County Meath. [6668/02]
Written Answers. - Teacher Fee Refund Scheme.
Through the teacher fee refund scheme, funding is provided for payment to primary and post-primary teachers towards course and examination fees incurred by them in the successful completion of in-career development courses. This scheme was introduced under the Programme for Competitiveness and Work. A monitoring committee consisting of representatives of teacher unions, school management and the Department oversees the scheme, which was first introduced in 1999.
Under the terms of the scheme, courses which result in a qualification in respect of which an allowance is payable are specifically excluded. Particular attention is drawn to this in the material that is circulated in regard to the scheme.
It is also important to point out that the scheme is not intended to cover the entire cost of a course. The refund is only a proportion of fees paid and depends on the number of qualifying applicants in any given year and the amount allo cated to the scheme in that year. The funding available is allocated on the basis that all successful applicants each receive the same proportion of their eligible fees after any tax relief has been deducted. Qualifying applicants received approximately 36% of their eligible fees in 1999 and approximately 32% in 2000.