Under the Teaching Council Act, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority for the registration of teachers. Teachers are registered under The Teaching Council [Registration] Regulations 2009.
As the statutory professional standards body for teaching in Ireland, the Council is of the view that all teachers should be first and foremost qualified and registered as teachers in their given sector, whether primary or post primary.
The Deputy should note that the Teaching Council has not accredited any programmes from Sarojini Naidu Medical College. The data in relation to the employment of teachers in special needs schools is not available in my Department.
The Teaching Council is currently reviewing the Teaching Council [Registration] Regulations 2009 under the Teaching Council Act as amended in the Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015. The draft regulations will be submitted for the consent of the Minister in due course.