Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Currently, it is not possible to avail of primary teacher education in the Cork area. People have to leave Cork. There is a serious gap in provision. It is well worth exploring. The Minister of State is aware that the cost-of-living crisis is having a significant impact on students' choices. Previously, people in outlying areas might have moved to Cork, Limerick or Dublin but increasingly the cost of rent means that is less of a choice. For people in Cork who are from a low-income background, the option to take up primary teacher education is restricted because it is extremely difficult to move from Cork.

There are almost 600,000 people in Cork at this stage, including approximately 250,000 living in the metropolitan area. As such, a substantial number of people stand to benefit from a change.

University College Cork, UCC, has identified an opportunity here to provide a pipeline of capable new teachers to primary education and offer people a beneficial career. It has been working on developing a comprehensive professional master of education primary teaching course. The programme's design has reached an advanced stage and UCC expects to receive full approval for it next month. The course is intended to contribute to the broader goals of access and inclusion in education. By establishing a local programme, it will be possible to make teacher education more accessible to aspiring educators in Cork by eliminating barriers.

That proposal needs clearance from key stakeholders, in particular, the Department of Education. UCC is in an unusual position in that it has been identified by the Department of Education as a centre of excellence because of its role in training and the centre of education located in the university, which provides a great deal in post-primary education. However, there is currently no route for people from the area to access primary teacher education locally. This is a significant gap. I hope the Department of Education will respond positively to the proposal. While it would not deliver a result overnight, it would benefit the Cork area and the education system by creating more opportunities for people who could otherwise make different choices and decide to go down a different career route because of the lack of accessibility to a primary teacher education route in Cork.

I look forward to the Minister of State's response. I hope he will take this proposal on board.

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