Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 19 Nov 2002

Vol. 557 No. 4

Written Answers. - Teaching Qualifications.

Willie Penrose

Ceist:

254 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties persons (details supplied) in County Westmeath experience in trying to become a recognised teacher here; if his Department will provide the appropriate support to such persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22574/02]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey)

I am aware that the person referred to by the Deputy submitted her qualifications for assessment for the purposes of obtaining recognition as a secondary teacher. A shortfall in her qualifications has been identified and she is currently in correspondence with the secretariat to the Secondary Registration Council as to how this shortfall can be made up.

My Department has not received any application from this person for recognition as a primary teacher. In order to be fully recognised to teach at primary level in this country and, therefore, to be entitled to take up permanent posts, teachers must have undertaken a recognised primary teaching training course and possess a recognised primary teaching qualification. Such a qualification is usually achieved by a person graduating from one of the recognised primary teacher training courses in the colleges of education, including the postgraduate conversion courses. It is open to degree holders wishing to pursue a career in primary teaching to opt for the postgraduate diploma in primary teaching.

Provisional recognition as primary teachers is granted to teachers trained in another member state of the European Union, but who do not possess an appropriate Irish language qualification. These teachers must have their qualifications assessed and accepted by my Department before they are granted a five year period of provisional recognition to teach in national schools. Such teachers must satisfy my Department 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.

In order to satisfy the Irish language requirement such teachers must pass an Irish language examination, an Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cailíochta sa Ghaeilge, SCG, and provide certification that they have resided in the Gaeltacht while attending an approved three week course. My Department provides a grant of €431.71 to such teachers for Gaeltacht course attendance on their successful completion of the SCG.

Recognised secondary qualifications are not accepted for the purpose of recognition to teach in a permanent capacity in primary schools. 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. In order to obtain recognition to teach in mainstream primary schools second level teachers must undergo a postgraduate primary conversion course.

However, under a temporary scheme operated by my Department to address the shortage of qualified teachers at primary level, secondary qualified teachers are remunerated at the trained rate of pay when they take up substitute or temporary positions in primary schools. Recognised secondary teachers may also teach in special primary schools where a proportion of the pupils attending the special school are of post-primary age, that is, 12 years or older and where second level programmes are being provided by the school, for example, the junior certificate elementary programme and the leaving certificate applied programme.