Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 June 2004
150 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the recent report presented to the general assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland that the shortage of Protestant teachers is being exacerbated by the requirements for a qualification in the Irish language; if he intends to take steps to address this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19499/04]
View answerOn 15 July 2003, I signed the Church of Ireland College of Education order. The purpose of the order is to reserve 32 places in the first year of the Bachelor of Education degree course in the Church of Ireland College of Education, Rathmines, for students who are members of the Church of Ireland or who belong to the broad Protestant tradition. The making of the order and its laying before the Houses arises from the provisions of the Employment Equality Act 1998 and is designed to ensure that the rights and interests of the college, schools with a Protestant ethos, and the students in those schools are provided for.
Teachers who have trained in another member state of the European Union, whose qualifications have been assessed and accepted by the Department of Education and Science but who do not possess an appropriate Irish language qualification, are granted a five year period of provisional recognition to teach in national schools. During this period of provisional recognition these teachers are required to work towards meeting the Department's Irish language requirements and to prepare for the Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge. I anticipate that it will be easier for students to gain this qualification, on the basis of my announcement in April in regard to changes in the structure of this exam. These changes include a reduction in the overall pass mark to 40%.
I would, however, point out that as part of the minimum academic requirements specified by my Department for entry to primary teacher training courses provided in the colleges of education, all candidates, including school leavers, mature students and university graduates, must have a minimum of a grade C in higher level in Irish in the leaving certificate or an approved equivalent. This requirement embodies both the written and oral element of a student's proficiency in Irish. My Department considers it to be the minimum standard in Irish necessary for students entering a teacher training course which will equip them to teach Irish to pupils at all levels in primary schools.
