Vol. 573 No. 1
193 Mr. N. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason it is proposed to withdraw the graduate course which normally takes place at the Mary Immaculate College, Limerick; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the withdrawal of this course will have a serious effect on primary school teacher numbers. [24523/03]
The graduate diploma course is a full-time course run to enable third-level graduates to train as primary teachers. The course was introduced as a response to a shortage in the supply of primary teachers. It was first provided in the 1995-96 academic year and has been repeated a number of times since then. The most recent course commenced in February of this year. My Department is currently examining the teacher supply and demand needs in order to facilitate in planning for the future. It is expected that this examination will be completed shortly. Discussions can then commence with the Colleges of Education about a further course.
