Jan O'Sullivan
Ceist:134 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress to date in easing the Irish language requirement for non-Irish trained teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26519/00]
Written Answers. - Teaching Qualifications.
At primary level, teachers are class teachers rather than subject specialists and must be qualified to teach the range of primary school subjects to children aged four to 12 years. Accordingly, applicants must satisfy the Department of Education and Science that they are competent to teach the Irish language and to teach the range of primary school curricular subjects through the medium of Irish, before being granted full recognition to teach in mainstream classes in national schools.
Teachers trained in another member state of the European Union, whose qualifications have been assessed and accepted by the Department of Education and Science, but who do not possess an appropriate Irish language qualification, are granted a five year period of provisional recognition to teach in mainstream classes in national schools. During this period of provisional recognition, these teachers are remunerated in the same manner as fully qualified teachers. I recently extended the period of provisional recognition from three to five years in order to allow these teachers adequate time to prepare for and pass the Irish language examination, and also in response to the ongoing teacher supply issue at primary level.
Furthermore, teachers trained outside of the European Union, whose qualifications have been assessed and accepted by my Department, are now also being granted a five year period of provisional recognition to allow them to teach in mainstream classes in primary schools. I introduced this change from 1 September of this year, in view of the current shortage of qualified primary teachers, and it will apply until September 2002, at which stage it will be reviewed. In common with EU trained teachers, non-EU teachers will be required to work towards achieving the Irish language qualification during their period of provisional recognition. Non-EU trained teachers will be remunerated in the same manner as fully qualified teachers during their period of provisional recognition.
In addition, a number of changes have been made to the Irish qualification examination, aimed at assisting teachers trained outside the State to obtain the Irish language qualification. The most important of these are: the extension of the period of provisional recognition from three to five years. As the exam is held twice a year, candidates will have ten opportunities to sit the examination during their period of provisional recognition; the examination now comprises four individual modules and teachers can prepare for and sit different modules at different times. Teachers who pass an individual module will be exempt from that module for a period of five years; courses are being provided, through the education centre network, to facilitate teachers preparing for the examination.
At second level a change regarding the Irish requirement for appointment as a teacher has come into effect from the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year. There is no longer an Irish language requirement in the case of the generality of teachers who are not required to use Irish in their ordinary daily duties. The requirement remains in the case of the following second level teachers: those employed in Gaeltacht schools, those employed in schools where Irish is the normal medium of instruction, in the case of subjects other than Irish and those who teach any subject other than Irish through the medium of Irish.
Question No. 135 taken with Question No. 117