The Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority, under the Teaching Council Acts 2001- 2014, to review and accredit programmes of initial teacher education. In the case referred to by the Deputy, it accredited the professional master of education (PME) in Dublin City University (DCU) in May 2014.
This accreditation confirms that the DCU professional master of education meets all of the Council's initial teacher education requirements as set out in Initial Teacher Education: Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers, including specific requirements relating to the critical school placement aspect of the programme.
Having been awarded professional accreditation, it is a matter for DCU as programme provider to determine how the PME programme is structured and implemented, and to ensure that all graduates have achieved the required learning outcomes to enable them to register with the Council.