Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister back to the House this afternoon. As a profession, teaching has long been viewed as a valuable and respected way of earning a living. Going back to the days of the hedge schools, or the scoileanna scairte, in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the Penal Laws dictated that "no person of the popish religion shall publicly or in private houses teach school or instruct youth in the learning within the realm", the school teacher was seen as a pillar of society, a crucial contributor to the life of the village or town, as well as an educator. Going back even further in time to the era of the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow, and the Annals of the Four Masters, Ireland was considered a seat of learning, while Irish colleges were established all over Europe, from Leuven to Salamanca. We have had a long history of excellent education in Ireland, and can be justly proud of the high esteem in which our schools and colleges are held.

With such a long history, it is quite extraordinary that it took until seven years ago to establish a teaching council in Ireland, considering that such councils exist for many other professions, such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy and the legal profession. The establishment of the Teaching Council and its achievements to date are very positive developments for the foundation of professionally led regulations for teachers. The functions of the council are set out clearly in the 2001 Act, with the council being established in March 2006. For the past few years, teachers have been getting notifications - myself included - every year requesting them to register and to pay their registration fee. I am delighted that the registration fee has been reduced from €90 to €65. Along with my colleagues, I might have asked why we were paying this, but now I am delighted that the real impact of the Teaching Council on education in Ireland is becoming clear.