Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 March 2012
161 Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details of the number of education inspectors who have retired recently or taken up early retirement; his plans to fill the posts of inspector whose duties include evaluating newly qualified teachers when they take up their teaching posts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12290/12]
View answerTen inspectors retired prior to the 29th February 2012. In anticipation of this the Department entered into discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and reform (PER) in order to highlight the staffing situation at the Schools Inspectorate Division in light of the large number of inspectors opting to retire early. These discussions culminated in an agreement being reached that key positions that were deemed essential in order to have an effective School Inspectorate could be filled. Some of these were promotions to higher positions. In addition to this in January 2012 the Department engaged the Public Appointments Service (PAS) to conduct recruitment competitions for primary and post primary inspectors.
The Teaching Council is the body responsible for the registration of teachers. Newly qualified primary teachers who are conditionally registered with the Council and who are seeking to obtain full registration as teachers must fulfil both service and professional competence conditions laid down by the Council. At present, primary inspectors conduct unanounced inspections of the work of these teachers in order to advise the Council regarding the professional competence condition for registration. The Inspectorate has planned its inspection programme for the period to June 2012 to ensure that, as far as possible, newly qualified primary teachers who will be able to fulfil the service requirement by 30 June 2012 will be inspected by that date for the purpose of fulfiling the professional competence requirement for full registration with the Council.
