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

This is an enabling provision and it would be by way of a regulation that would have to be approved by the Minister. It is not something that is coming in tomorrow, but it is under discussion and consultation through the Teaching Council. In my experience, teachers do engage in continuous professional development, CPD and seek it. I agree with Deputy Coppinger on that. At primary level there are three days' extra personal vacation annually for short study undertaken during the summer holidays. At post-primary level the personal leave available is not necessarily linked to study. Having said that, there are occasional teachers who do not particularly want to do that, but we want them all to do so. We want to ensure that teachers are upskilling themselves and are taking the opportunity to engage in CPD. As the Deputy knows, extensive CPD is organised for teachers. This provision, however, is to enable the Teaching Council to make it a requirement, if and when it believes it is necessary. It is an enabling provision.

With regard to teachers not having permanence and many of them having insecurity in their employment, I accepted the recommendations of the Ward report which was presented to me several months ago. I have indicated that we will be implementing it from September. It will mean that a teacher who has been teaching for two years can get a contract of indefinite duration, whereas currently it is after three years. I accept that there is a lot of insecurity for many teachers but we are moving to address that issue.

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