Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 November 2023
181. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education to address the issue of the barriers to full Teaching Council registration for a teacher (details supplied) who has obtained qualifications outside the Republic of Ireland, despite the opening-up of a route to full registration. [49278/23]
View answerThe Teaching Council is the competent authority for the recognition of qualifications for those who qualified as teachers outside of Ireland. The Teaching Council adheres to the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015, the Teaching Council Registration Regulations (2016) and in its role as a competent authority, it operates in accordance with the EU Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/36/EU as amended). As a statutory professional standards body, the Teaching Council is required by law to properly determine and to authenticate the relevant standards and qualifications of all applicants for registration. One of the ways the Council ensures and regulates standards is by ensuring that all teachers entering the profession in Ireland have met the required standards.
Fully qualified teachers who qualify from outside of the Republic of Ireland are eligible to apply for registration with the Teaching Council under the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations. The Council registers teachers under four Routes of Registration: Primary, Post-primary, Further Education and Other.
A fully qualified teacher from outside of the Republic of Ireland must hold qualified teacher status (QTS/licence to teach) and full registration (having met any post-qualification registration requirements of that country, e.g., teacher induction). All applications from teachers who qualify outside of Ireland are processed in line with EU Directive.
All applications from teachers who qualify outside of the Republic of Ireland are assessed for comparability with graduates of Teaching Council accredited programmes of initial teacher education. All primary teachers are registered conditionally with the condition of the Irish Language Requirement. All post-primary teachers are registered conditionally with the condition of the History and Structure of the Irish Education System. Following a holistic assessment of teaching qualifications and relevant teaching experience, CPD, etc, any identified qualification shortfall(s) are added as a condition of registration. Teachers have three years from the date of conditional registration to address conditions via an aptitude test or an adaptation period.
In addition, for a time limited period under the Teaching Council (Registration) (Amendment), 2023, the Teaching Council is accepting applications from teachers who hold a teaching licence and a comparable teacher education qualification but have not completed induction in the country they qualified. There are specific eligibility and qualification requirements that must be met under the Amendment. Primary qualified teachers must have a primary teacher education qualification aimed at 4 to 12-year-olds which is comparable to the standard of Irish graduates (with the exception of the Irish Language Requirement which will be applied as a condition of registration).
Following the assessment of the person referred to in the correspondence, their qualifications in comparison with the standards of Teaching Council accredited programmes of teacher education in Ireland, the Council identified qualification shortfalls in addition to the Irish Language Requirement. As a result, the person referred to is not eligible for registration under the Teaching Council (Registration) (Amendment), 2023, to complete induction in Ireland and achieve registration on that basis.
