Vol. 559 No. 1
214 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science his proposals to provide unqualified primary teachers with the opportunity to obtain a suitable qualification; and if persons who do not have an existing degree or qualification will have the opportunity to take up training on a modular basis. [25377/02]
215 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps his Department intends to take to provide some modular form of training to offer full qualification to unqualified primary school teachers; his further plans to deal with this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25434/02]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 215 together.
At present the courses run in the State that allow for appointment to a permanent post in a primary school are the Bachelor of Education degree and the 18 month graduate diploma in primary teaching. Both of these courses are run in the colleges of education which specialise in the training of primary teachers.
The graduate diploma course is a full-time course run to enable third level graduates to train as primary teachers.
All aspects of primary teacher training are the subject of ongoing review between my Department and the colleges of education. My Department is also examining further options for addressing the teacher supply issue in consultation with relevant interests. In this context my Department will consult the colleges of education in the near future with regard to the provision of modular type courses for secondary trained teachers with the necessary academic requirement in Irish.
