Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I know we took the opportunity to do so yesterday at the education committee, but I again offer what I know is the unified solidarity, support and sympathy of the entire House. We are particularly mindful of the children and their carer who were involved in an incident in proximity to a school on Parnell Square. I can confirm for the House that our NEPS psychologists, our school psychologists, have been in the school since the incident occurred. They continue to be there, engaging with senior management and the other staff. Additional support from a staff point of view is being provided for the school. This was an horrific incident that happened, as I said, in proximity to a school. We are very mindful of the trauma it has visited not just on the school community but on the wider community. We send our very best wishes for a speedy recovery to all the children and the carer, especially the child who remains in the care of the hospital. I thank the House for its unified support and commend the school community on the excellent leadership it is showing at a very difficult time.

I thank the Deputy for the question. There are five higher education institutions providing primary initial teacher education in Ireland: four State-funded providers and one private provider. Each of the four primary State-funded providers has both concurrent, or undergraduate, and consecutive, or postgraduate, programmes. These are DCU Institute of Education, Marino Institute of Education, Maynooth University and Mary Immaculate College. Each year, the number of students admitted to primary concurrent and consecutive programmes in State-funded HEIs is determined by the Department, having regard to teacher supply and demand issues and available resources. Hibernia College is a privately owned institution which provides a primary consecutive programme only. The Department has no involvement in setting the numbers for Hibernia.

There are 11 State-funded providers of post-primary initial teacher education in Ireland: DCU, Maynooth, Mary Immaculate College, University College Dublin, the University of Galway, University College Cork, the University of Limerick, Trinity College Dublin, the Technological University of the Shannon, Atlantic Technological University, which now includes the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and St. Angela's, and the National College of Art and Design. These institutions provide a range of concurrent and consecutive programmes. Hibernia College also provides a post-primary consecutive ITE programme.

Conscious that the professional master of education represents a very significant undertaking for students, I was delighted as part of budget 2024 to announce that a new incentive scheme will be introduced for newly qualified teachers graduating in 2024. Following engagement with the four State-funded HEIs providing primary initial teacher education, I also approved 610 additional places, with 320 of those approved for 2023 and the remaining 290 in 2024. The new places are as follows: 90 on the bachelor of education programme in 2023 and 2024, making a total of 1,090 each year; 30 additional places on the bachelor of education through the medium of Irish in 2023, making a total of 60 in 2023; and 200 additional places on the professional master of education programme in 2023 and 2024, making a total of 400 each year.

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