Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2023
282. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education the number of psychology students who graduate from Irish universities every year; the number of psychology placements available every year; if there are any plans to increase the number of placements considering the shortage of psychologists in the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32141/23]
View answerThe number of psychology students who graduate from Irish universities every year is a matter for the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
My Department is looking at how it can continue to recruit adequate numbers of suitably qualified educational psychologists to continue to respond to the educational psychological needs of children in recognised primary and post-primary schools across the country.
As an immediate short-term measure the Department introduced a bursary to support Trainee Educational Psychologists currently in their third year (or third year equivalent) of professional training in University College Dublin (UCD) and Mary Immaculate College (MIC), who expect to graduate in 2023. Officials in my Department are liaising with Mary Immaculate College and University College Dublin to finalise funding supports for students of the educational psychological doctorate programme who would graduate in 2024, 2025 and 2026 and would be in a position to apply for the next NEPS recruitment competition that takes place in their final year of study and/or subsequent recruitment competitions thereafter.
