Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for being late. I read the Teaching Council's statements last night. I wanted to query a couple of things. The statement mentioned Droichead, which I am familiar with because I was a teacher before being elected. Ms Fox mentioned newly qualified teachers employed in special settings in exceptional circumstances.

I have had engagement with several parents whose children are autistic, and who have been put into special classes only to find that the teacher is not qualified as a special education teacher. What has happened is that the principal has told this newly qualified teacher that if they take the special class for a couple of years they will be guaranteed a permanent job in mainstream. What happens is you have a young teacher in that position who is not qualified. They will do their best, and the parents praise the young teacher who goes out of their way to try to learn what they need to learn to address the needs of the students. However, it is not fair on the teacher who is put in that position because that is not their qualification. It is not fair on the students because not only are they getting teachers who are not qualified to teach them, but they are only getting that teacher for maybe a year or two, and then they move on, and we know autistic children need routine and familiarity. Has the Teaching Council come across this issue? Can it address it in any way to ensure it does not happen?