Denis Naughten
Ceist:664 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Science further to Parliamentary Question No. 92 of 19 June 2003, if he will outline the further options being considered by his Department. [20967/03]
Written Answers. - Teaching Qualifications.
In August of this year, I announced the granting of recognition to a new primary teacher training course. The new course will be delivered by Hibernia College, an on-line third level educational company, using innovative on-line e-learning technology and will lead to a graduate diploma in primary education. The course will be open to graduates and in addition to its on-line component will involve face-to-face tuition delivered at regional locations. The course will be accredited by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council. HETAC is the qualifications awarding body for third level educational and training institutions outside the university sector. As well as setting standards for awards and validating programmes HETAC also monitors institutional quality and assurance procedures.
The colleges of education have done much to increase the output of primary teachers to meet the needs of schools arising from significant additional teacher allocations in recent years. The new Hibernia course will enhance the opportunities available to graduates to qualify as primary teachers. I am committed to ensuring that the existing shortage of qualified teachers will be eliminated within the next two to three years and in this context my Department will continue to consider new initiatives and keep existing initiatives under review.