Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 273: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of hours in the primary teacher training curriculum; the number of hours spent on dyslexia; the way in which same is monitored; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37321/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The position is that the number of student or lecture contact hours in the colleges of education, on average, amounts to 1,650. I would like to inform the Deputy that the existing pre-service teacher training programmes provided by the colleges of education include specific elements aimed at enabling all primary teachers to recognise and deal appropriately with the particular needs of all children who have learning disabilities, including those associated with dyslexia. For example, in St. Patrick's College, dyslexia is treated in the context of other causes of reading failure within the curriculum course in reading in first and second years and in the special education course in the final year of the B Ed course. There are also a number of elective courses in the final year. The reading course is 22 hours in first year 22 hours in second year. In the third year, the special education course is 27 hours and the elective course is 40 hours.

The teacher education section of my Department met recently with representatives from all the publicly funded primary teacher training colleges. A working group has been established to consider a range of issues pertaining to the B Ed programme including, inter alia, the range of special educational needs including dyslexia.

I would like to take the opportunity to refer again to the continuum involved in the development of teaching as a profession and to say that in order to further enhance the relevant preparation that teachers will have received at pre-service level in the colleges, my Department, in co-operation with colleges of education and universities, also provides a nationwide programme, on an annual basis, of additional specialist training at post-graduate level for learning support teachers and resource teachers.

As the Deputy is aware, learning support teachers are available to all primary schools as additional support for children with learning difficulties, including dyslexia. Resource teachers are available to primary schools, as required, as an additional support for children with special educational needs, including children with dyslexia.

In addition, my Department has completed a major programme of professional development for all teachers in primary schools, with particular emphasis on whole-school and classroom-based strategies for responding effectively to the learning needs of children with reading difficulties, including those associated with dyslexia. The programme is based on the learning support guidelines which have been made available to all schools by my Department. Support is continuing to be provided to schools by the support team.

This specialist training is supported and directly funded by the teacher education section of my Department, which is responsible for the education, training and continuing professional development of teachers across the continuum from initial pre-entry education to continuous professional development. The course syllabi include training in the diagnosis and identification of reading difficulties including the appropriate techniques for remediation. In particular, there is a focus on the problem of specific learning disabilities, including dyslexia, in relation to diagnosis and pedagogy.

Through the special education support service, which was established in September 2003, my Department also supports many other relevant short-term intensive courses, including some on-line courses, for primary teachers. In its current programme of support and professional development, the special education support service has identified dyslexia as a priority which, with other similar courses, are provided through the network of education centres, teachers' organisations and through the programme of summer courses for primary teachers.