Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This concerns what regulations the council may make. The Teaching Council Acts of 2001 to 2012 provide that the council may make regulations to require a teacher to satisfactorily complete a programme of continuing professional development accredited by the council as a condition of renewing registration. Section 39 of the Teaching Council Act, which has not been commenced, enables the council to review and accredit programmes of continuing professional development. The Teaching Council's policy on the continuum of education, which was adopted by the council in 2011 following a comprehensive consultation process, states that engagement in ongoing professional learning-continuing professional development is both a right and a responsibility of registered teachers.

The council intends to work towards a position, following the adoption of a coherent national framework for teachers' continuing professional development, where renewal of registration with the Teaching Council will be subject to evidence of ongoing learning. Last year, the council began a comprehensive open consultation on this matter. Every registered teacher and all education stakeholders have had an opportunity to participate and have their views heard. I understand that over 3,000 teachers have availed of this opportunity.

Following the initial phase of consultation the council has published a draft framework called Cosán. Cosán reflects the wide variety of formal and non-formal professional learning that our teachers can and do engage in. The council will further develop the framework in the coming months. The framework will offer reassurance to the profession and the public that teachers are engaging in a range of quality learning activities for their benefit and that of their students.

The enabling provision that allows the council to regulate for continuing professional development as a feature of ongoing registration underpins the already high standard of professionalism among teachers. The final framework remains to be seen but I have every confidence that it will reflect both the existing commitment of teachers to developing their practice, as well as an understanding of a reasonable level of engagement by them with ongoing learning. Ministerial consent will be required for any regulations that the council might intend to make concerning requirements for renewal of registration. I look forward to engaging with the council further at that stage.

I believe the existence of this provision in the Act will serve as a hallmark of quality for our teaching profession and I do not intend to accept the proposed amendment to remove it.

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