Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to speak about the Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015. I welcome both the Bill and this particular debate, as it is an opportunity to plan ahead, reform the education system and ensure that Ireland has educational standards of top quality and, through this Bill, top-class professional quality teachers. One should never forget this point in respect of the broader issue of education. There are many high quality and top-class professional teachers in the Irish National Teachers Organisation, the Teachers Union of Ireland and the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland. They are valuable people to the State and, in particular, they also are a valuable asset to broader society. Many make huge contributions in education, as well as in the arts, sports and broader community matters. It is important to acknowledge this point, particularly in respect of this Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill. One must also focus on quality standards and the true professionalism of teachers. I will use this opportunity to commend many of those teachers, particularly those class teachers who work in disadvantaged schools. Many of them face huge problems in respect of education and social and economic disadvantage yet are doing a magnificent job, many times against the odds. It is up to all Members of the House, not simply the Government, to support these teachers because they can make an impact on the development of children, particularly from the age of four to the age of 13 when they leave the primary cycle. This also is a matter on which Members must focus. In addition, they should not be afraid to look at the faults and weaknesses of some of the practices that go on in the schools and the educational service. It also is important to commend and thank the many principals who work in such disadvantaged schools because on top of being principals and prime educators, they also operate as social workers and work in many other administrative areas. Their job is extremely difficult, particularly in modern society, and many pressures are placed on them by both the Department and wider society. They are and wish to be accountable to people but one must also ensure they are supported. I raise these two issues in respect of the aforementioned Bill and will develop the link further later.

I also commend and thank all those teachers who work with children with special needs in both primary and second level education. That is why I was particularly disappointed a few days ago when I learned that the Minister's plans to reform the allocation of resources for special educational needs had been shelved for this year, despite concerns about the unfairness associated with the current system. In recent days, the Minister has stated she did not plan to change the system next September as originally had been proposed. Many people were looking forward to the implementation of those changes for the new children coming into the system next September. I believe the reason given was that the National Council for Special Education advised that sufficient time should be allowed for further consultation with the educational stakeholders. While I am disappointed by this, I also suggest that if further involvement with stakeholders is envisaged, the Minister should include parents, as well as parents of children with special needs, who are feeling very excluded. I do not wish to see more families going down to the law courts to secure their rights, services and resources.

The position at present is that the Minister's own Department has specifically pointed out that children in wealthier areas get more special education teaching resources than do children in disadvantaged areas. The Department of Education and Skills itself drew up a report that found that children in more affluent parts of the city were receiving more special education teaching resource hours than were children in poor disadvantaged areas. The reason for this discrepancy in provision in respect of middle income or middle-class schools is that psychological assessments were paid for privately by parents and then those assessments were fed into the public education system. These assessments are used to determine the resource hours and staffing allocated to a school. My point is that parents who can afford between €400 and €600 to have an education assessment carried out in private are at a major advantage over those parents who cannot. In the case of any Government, country or society, all children should have equal access to educational resources irrespective of their parents' wealth.

The Bill caters for two main overarching aims, namely, to underpin the central role of the Teaching Council in the statutory Garda vetting arrangements for teachers, as set out in the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012, as well as to amend and strengthen the statutory provisions of the Teaching Council Act 2001 relating to the Teaching Council’s fitness to teach function. It is important that teachers are vetted under the forthcoming statutory vetting arrangements which will include a check for criminal offences, as well as any relevant soft information, an important new element of the vetting procedures. I support these sensible provisions. Historically, people with major dysfunctional issues with children emerged in the education system and were an abuse threat to children. We must be focused in ensuring children in primary schools are protected from abuse. It is also important to ensure those teachers working with children with special needs are strongly vetted, as such children might not have the ability to report sexual or other types of abuse. When the Bill is enacted, there will be a clear statutory basis for the Teaching Council to require such teachers to undergo vetting and to deal with any adverse vetting information that might be received. Removing a teacher from the Teaching Council register is the best way of achieving child protection across all recognised schools. I welcome this aspect of the legislation. As well as underpinning the role of the Teaching Council, the Bill also provides the statutory basis for retrospective or periodic revetting of all registered teachers during the renewal of a registration. It also sets out several grounds on which a complaint may be made such as professional misconduct, poor professional performance and medical unfitness.

The majority of teachers are highly committed. It is important to encourage young people to enter teaching because it is a wonderful career. Speaking from experience, I know that there are many quality teachers who develop, evolve and nurture children in their schooling, creating great citizens for the future. The Minister must listen to the teachers on the front line if they have a quibble or an issue; it is not about just attending the Easter conferences. I welcome the positive aspects of the legislation.

See this speech in context