Vol. 569 No. 5
81 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science when a person (details supplied) in County Mayo was supposedly advised by Department officials on the way in which to bring their degree up to the level suitable as a teacher of home economics and religion in a community school; the exact steps they need to take to enable their appointment; the courses suitable for this person to follow to gain this recognition; and the colleges they are located in. [18132/03]
I understand that during the latter half of 2002, officials of my Department had a number of telephone conversations with the person in question, in the course of which the shortfalls in relation to home economics and the method by which these shortfalls could be remedied were fully explained to her.
The qualification in religion held by this person is not suitable for the purpose of teaching this subject as prescribed in the second level curriculum. If she intends to seek appointment as a teacher of religion, she will require a suitable third level qualification recognised for this purpose. It is a matter for the person in question to seek to address the shortfall in content or qualification by means of a course of relevant study at a recognised third level institution, as suggested in my reply of 12 June last. To do this it will be necessary for her to make contact with a third level institution offering courses suited to her needs. Information on courses offered by individual institutions is normally available from the registrar of the institution.
Courses leading to qualifications with general recognition for the teaching of home economics and of religion are provided, among others, by St. Angela's College, Lough Gill, Sligo (Tel. 071-43580).
