Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That policy has always been the policy but the statutory instrument and the regulations were not in place.

It is also important to say that many hundreds of teachers have rotated out on this basis. There are some directors who do not want to rotate out but we believe it is the right policy. Where we have replaced the directors, we have obtained very good people and there has not been disruption to the management of these centres. That has been in more than half of the centres, given ten have been replaced.

This is the right policy. I believe the investment in leadership and teacher upskilling is one of the most important investments we can make. It is a very dynamic environment where we want to continually see fresh blood coming through. The priorities change. It is now about rolling out digital and how people execute digital in the classroom whereas, at other times, it will be about assessment. For example, we now have the junior cycle, which now involves a portfolio of assessment and a move away from the rigid terminal examination model. All of that creates a need. At different times we need different capacities and the Department must have the flexibility to plan those capacities and deliver them in a flexible way.

It is important to note that the 21 education centres have been very valuable and have done very good work. However, I absolutely believe the approach we are taking is the right approach. I am undertaking a very detailed assessment of the whole CPD, as they call it in the jargon of the Department, both in terms of leadership and upskilling, in order to make sure the 3% of payroll which we invest in this, which is a substantial amount at over €100 million, is spent in the very best possible way. I want to get best practice. It is one of my ambitions that we would have an education and training service that is the best in Europe within a decade. I think we can do better in this area and it is an area I want to improve. I appeal to Senators. Moving back to saying these are management positions that should be there forever is not the way in which we can create a dynamic environment for supporting teachers to upskill and have that rotation in and out of classroom activity that is at the heart of the current policy.