Vol. 531 No. 3
434 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Education and Science if a person with a BA Degree in Education from a recognised university in the United Kingdom together with a teaching qualification from the National Nursery Examination Board is entitled to be recognised as a permanent whole time teacher under the restricted recognition provision. [5579/00]
My Department will grant restricted recognition to certain teachers who have a recognised primary teaching qualification from another jurisdiction. These are teachers who are qualified to teach the range of primary school subjects to pupils aged four to 12 years and who are not qualified to teach in mainstream national schools because they do not have an appropriate Irish language qualification.
Restricted recognition as a primary teacher gives eligibility to teach in certain categories of special schools and in the categories of special classes in mainstream schools where Irish is not a curricular requirement. In addition such teachers are also entitled to take up positions in special schools for young offenders and in youth encounter projects or special education projects.
Applicants must, in particular, be able to produce certified evidence of qualified teacher status from the State Board of Education or Teacher Registration Council in the jurisdiction in which teacher training was undertaken. On receipt of the necessary support documentation, my Department individually assesses applications.
I should add that teachers trained in EU countries may be granted provisional recognition to teach in primary schools pending their obtaining the necessary competence in the Irish language. Such teachers are allowed five years from the date of their first appointment in a primary school to obtain this competence.
In order to be granted restricted or provisional recognition qualified teachers should make application to Primary Administration Section 1, Department of Education and Science, Athlone, County Westmeath. It is not clear from the details supplied by the Deputy whether the person in question has qualified teaching status in the United Kingdom. In the circumstances it is suggested that this person should contact primary administration with a view to submitting appropriate documentation so that this matter can be considered in detail.
435 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science the consideration which he has given to providing a conversion course to regularise the position of the many long-serving substitute teachers in primary schools who have only leaving certificate qualifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5580/01]
To overcome the shortage in the supply of primary teachers, my Department requested the colleges of education to provide postgraduate courses to enable degree holders train as primary teachers. The duration of the postgraduate full-time course is 18 months. These courses were provided in the 1995-96, 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 academic years.
There are no proposals at present to provide a conversion course to enable persons who have served as substitute teachers with only leaving certificate qualifications become fully qualified primary teachers.
