Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 94 and 96 together.

The home tuition scheme provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for pre-school children with autism.

The Deputies will appreciate that, as home tuition takes place outside of the normal school framework, there is need to ensure that tuition providers are appropriately qualified to give education to the children concerned. The usual requirement is for a fully qualified teacher.

A recent review of a number of applications for home tuition highlighted some cause for concern regarding the qualifications of proposed tuition providers. The review determined that most of the nominated tuition providers were suitably qualified. However, over 130 had less than satisfactory qualifications. For example, some did not have a leaving certificate level of education while others had no post-school qualifications.

Parents and guardians who had nominated tuition providers with qualifications other than teaching qualifications were advised that these tuition providers were being accepted for the first school term, from September to December 2006, to allow time to undertake the review.

Following the review of qualifications, which took place in consultation with my Department's inspectorate, an extended list of qualifications acceptable under the scheme for children with autism has been published. This list is available on my Department's website.

Aside from recognised teaching qualifications such as the Bachelor in Education and approved Montessori training, the list includes certain qualifications in autism and in applied approaches to teaching children with autism, such as ABA, PECS and TEACCH. Third level qualifications in relevant areas such as psychology may also be appropriate depending on circumstances.

As necessary, my Department wrote to the parents and guardians concerned to advise the outcome of the review. Where the tuition providers' qualifications did not meet the minimum requirements, parents were advised of the need to recruit a tuition provider with suitable qualifications. However, to accommodate those who were experiencing difficulties in changing to a qualified tuition provider, they have been given until the end of the current school year to do so.

It is in the interests of children to expect that home tutors funded under this scheme are appropriately qualified tuition providers. It is for this reason that tuition providers will be required to meet the minimum qualification standard for the 2007-08 school year.

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