Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 December 2023
83. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education the qualifications that are considered acceptable for obtaining primary school teacher status in Ireland as in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54090/23]
View answerThe Teaching Council is the competent authority for the recognition of qualifications for those who qualified as teachers outside of the Republic 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 the Republic of Ireland have met the required standards.
Fully qualified teachers are eligible to apply for registration with the Teaching Council under the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations. 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. Programmes accredited by the Teaching Council, in accordance with Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education (2020), are designed to ensure that tomorrow’s teachers are competent to meet the challenges they will face, and are prepared to be lifelong learners, continually adapting over the course of their careers to enable them to support their pupils in achieving their full potential. These standards require that graduates from ITE have experienced foundation studies, professional studies (incorporating pedagogy of the curriculum for the appropriate age group/s) and school placement, as well as core elements such as inclusive education and digital skills.
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. The Irish Language Requirement can be fulfilled through a structured programme provided by Marino Institute of Education.
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 (e.g QTS) 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 e.g. 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). Post-primary qualified teachers must have a Post-Primary teacher education qualification aimed at 12 to 18-year-olds which is comparable to the standard of Irish graduates (with the exception of the History & Structure of Irish Education System, which will be applied as a condition of registration).
To be eligible for registration under this temporary measure, the qualification must be comparable to ITE qualifications in Ireland. The Teaching Council has carried out assessments of various types of qualifications to determine if they meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for registration under the Amendment Regulation. Based on these assessments carried out so far, it has found that traditional faculty-based programmes, for example Postgraduate Certificates in Education, are the most closely aligned with initial teacher education qualifications in Ireland and are, therefore most likely to meet the requirements for registration under the Teaching Council (Registration) (Amendment), 2023.
On the basis of applications assessed to date, the Council has found that models such as international variations of faculty-based programmes are less likely to meet the eligibility requirements and are more likely to be considered outside the scope of the Teaching Council (Registration) (Amendment), 2023.
