Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 May 2004
147 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a person who teaches in an Irish speaking school, teaching through the medium of Irish still must attend a three-week course in an Irish school in the Gaeltacht. [14779/04]
View answerUnder the terms of circular letter 25/00, foreign-trained teachers seeking recognition as primary teachers in Ireland must provide certification that they have resided in the Gaeltacht while attending an approved three-week course, or its aggregated equivalent, before full recognition can be awarded. This requirement is regarded as an integral part of a primary teacher's training and is in line with the requirement that Irish-trained primary teachers, as part of their obligatory training, must also attend an approved three weeks course in the Gaeltacht. The Deputy will appreciate that it would be inequitable to exempt teachers who obtained their primary teacher training outside the country, and whose training included no training in the teaching of Irish, from a requirement for the teaching of Irish which applies to Irish-trained teachers.
My Department has however been prepared to consider exceptions to this rule in cases where an applicant had studied Irish in his or her degree and attended an approved Gaeltacht course as part of that degree.
