Written Answers. - Teaching Qualifications.
David Stanton
Ceist:
212
Mr. Stanton
asked the
Minister for Education and Science
the qualifications required by teachers from the UK to teach in primary schools here; the number of such applications that have been received in the past two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[14517/01]
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.
However, teachers trained in another member state of the European Union, including teachers from the UK, 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. The period of provisional recognition has recently been extended from three to five years in order to allow such teachers adequate time to prepare for and pass the Irish language examination and also in response to the current 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. This change has been effected from 1 September of this year, in view of the current shortage of qualified primary teachers, and 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 is the extension of the period of provisional recognition from three to five years. As the examination is held twice a year, candidates will have at least 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.
The number of applicants from the UK who sought recognition as primary teachers in this country between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2000 was approximately 670.
