Liam Fitzgerald (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister. I compliment everybody involved in the concept of partnership in education. The teachers of Ireland, through the decades and against formidable odds, have helped to advance the cause of our society and economy. I also compliment the inspectorate for initiating the report, although I have a number of criticisms. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the issue of primary teacher training, which is vital, and the debate should be ongoing. I compliment Members who raised the issue of the report on the Order of Business last week, although I was not present until Thursday. It is important that we continue to debate this issue.

For a long time education has been widely acknowledged as the key to personal development and the door to life's chances. It has been universally recognised as playing a pivotal role in Ireland's success over the past decade. Primary education, in particular, is the foundation stone upon which success has been built. It is essential, therefore, that the training of primary teachers must strive for the highest standards of excellence at all times.

I acknowledge the Minister's spectacular track record across the spectrum of education issues during her two years in office. She has adopted a holistic approach, which has highlighted her vision, understanding and grasp of the issues and her determination to improve primary teacher training during pre-service and the teacher's first year in the classroom. The Minister has secured supports for teachers and principals, about which they comment freely and complimentarily. Principals, in particular, are very enthusiastic about the forum she has set up for them. This highlights the Minister's determination that teachers should be well prepared for the reality of modern classrooms, both at primary and second level. She has outlined a number of the initiatives she has taken and more are in the pipeline.

The Learning to Teach report is based on an evaluation carried out during the 2003-04 school year when students were completing their final year of teaching practice in schools. It was not carried out, therefore, during the Minister's watch and my concerns are not intended as a reflection on her successful Ministry. On the other hand, there can be no question that the Department of Education and Science has a duty to monitor the quality of teacher training to ensure it is of a satisfactory standard and must respond at all times to the changing demands on the teaching profession.

In his foreword to the report, the chief inspector sets out a perfectly reasonable and coherent rationale for the survey upon which it is based and the question of justification is fully satisfied. The only questions that arise are the following. Was the sample upon which the findings are based scientifically representative? Were the assessments objective? Was the scope of the assessments adequate? Are the recommendations insightful and pertinent? Other so-called issues referred to over the past week, such as the timing of the report's release into the public domain or the manner in which it was released, are spurious. The report was intended to be in the public domain from the outset and it states clearly it is for publication and can be obtained from the Government Publications Office. Any baloney and blather about that is of no relevance and only clouds the issue of the merits of the contents of the report.