Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 November 2021
321. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education if she will reconsider the decision to end route 4 registration on foot of the recent announcement that an additional 980 special education teachers are to be provided, working in special classes, special schools and mainstream settings to support children with special educational needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58458/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State.
The Teaching Council registers teachers in line with the requirements set out in the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016.
It is important to note that the Teaching Council sets the standards for programmes of initial teacher education (ITE). The Council reviews and accredits programmes provided by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the State, based on those standards. All programmes of ITE (primary, post-primary and further education) in Ireland that lead to registration must have professional accreditation from the Teaching Council. The standards for programmes of ITE have recently been revised and were published in Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education (2020) in October 2020.
Teachers who hold recognised Special Education Teaching qualifications obtained outside the State may continue to apply for registration with the Council under Route 4 and there is no intention to close-off this provision.
The standards stipulate that all programmes of ITE shall enable newly qualified teachers to facilitate quality teaching and learning for all pupils and sets Inclusive Education as one of the seven core elements which must unpin all aspects of the programme of ITE. The following excerpts from Céim are relevant in the context of inclusive education.
- The term inclusive education has been defined as ‘any aspect of teachers’ learning aimed at improving their capacity to address and respond to the diversity of learners’ needs; to enable their participation in learning; and remove barriers to education through the accommodation and provision of appropriate structures and arrangements to enable each learner to achieve the maximum benefit from his/her attendance at school.’
- Furthermore, it references that ‘the Council’s view of a truly inclusive approach to professional practice recognises that teachers encounter a diverse range of needs in the course of their teaching, regardless of setting. This will include additional learning needs (e.g. autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia) and learning needs associated with diverse linguistic, socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic (including Traveller community, Roma) backgrounds.’
- In the programme aims it is specified that ‘programmes shall enable newly qualified teachers to facilitate quality teaching and learning for all pupils and in the context of curriculum development to include the learning outcomes based curricula and national priorities.’
- One of the seven Core Elements for all programmes of initial teacher education is Inclusive Education.
- Inclusive Education: With reference to Inclusive Education as outlined in the Glossary, to include the fostering of appropriate learning environments that support the development of student teachers’ ability to provide for the learning needs of all pupils by utilising, for example, a universal design for learning framework.
In relation to school placement, the standards provide for a diversity of placement settings setting out that school placement shall comprise a minimum of two placement settings incorporating a variety of teaching situations, class levels and school contexts. Céim also sets out that during every module of school placement, student teachers, through the use of their Taisce, must demonstrate their understanding of Inclusive Education, as applicable to that context.
