Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 5 Nov 2002

Vol. 556 No. 3

Written Answers. - Teaching Qualifications.

Gay Mitchell

Question:

322 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 793 of 9 October 2002, the reason his Department will not address the career damage of technical schools' art teachers who qualified in 2002 with the NUI Diploma in Art Teaching, in view of the fact that his Department's stated position in 1974 was that the Department's TS art examination system through which these art teachers had attempted to qualify, was so seriously flawed that no art educationalist could stand over it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19706/02]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey)

My Department notified the relevant school authorities in 1974 that it was proposed to discontinue the award of the Art Teachers Certificate on the results of the technical schools, or TS, examinations in art. However, these examinations continued to be held for a further 14 years. Teachers, who would otherwise have been regarded as unqualified, were, therefore, given the opportunity to achieve the necessary qualifications through the TS examinations system for a considerable period of time after the initial announcement that the arrangement was to be discontinued.