Robert Dowds
Question:128 Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Education and Skills the purpose of the Teaching Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10379/11]
View answerTuesday, 10 May 2011
Questions (109, 110, 111)
Robert Dowds
Question:129 Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he is considering the abolition of the Teaching Council. [10380/11]
View answerRobert Dowds
Question:130 Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Education and Skills the annual budgetary allocation of the Teaching Council. [10381/11]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 128, 129 and 130 together.
The Teaching Council was established under the Teaching Council Act 2001 in March 2006 to promote teaching as a profession and the professional development of teachers, to maintain and improve the quality of teaching in the State, to provide for the establishment of standards, policies and procedures for the education and training of teachers, to provide for the registration and regulation of teachers and to enhance professional standards and competence.
The Teaching Council became a self funding body from the 28th March 2008. The Council raises its funding, in the main, from teachers' initial registration and renewal of registration fees. There is no annual budget allocation from the State.
I am fully committed to working with the Teaching Council to bring change and improvement and my Department works closely with the Council on an ongoing basis for the betterment of education generally in the State. To that end, I am not considering the abolition of the Teaching Council.
The Department of Education and Skills believes all children should be taught by qualified teachers. The purpose of the Teaching Council is to ensure that all teachers employed in Irish schools have appropriate qualifications and that the high quality of the teaching profession is maintained.
The Teaching Council is similar in purpose to other regulatory bodies for the legal and architectural professions. There is a need to maintain the high quality of our education system and the Teaching Council is part of this framework.
The Department of Education and Skills will continue to review the best way of maintaining rigorous educational standards within our education system and the wider teaching profession while ensuring that this is done in a cost effective manner for both the taxpayer and teacher alike.