Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 412: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her Department will reply and meet with a person (details supplies) in Dublin 3; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39934/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill vacancies in an individual primary school is a matter for the Board of Management of the school concerned. Accordingly, it would not be appropriate for me to intervene in individual cases. The person in question is a qualified second level teacher. Qualifications recognised for the purposes of teaching at second level are not accepted for the purpose of recognition to teach in a permanent capacity in primary schools. At primary level teachers are class teachers, rather than subject specialists, and must be qualified to teach the range of primary school subjects to children aged 4 to 12 years. In order to obtain recognition to teach in mainstream primary schools, persons holding qualifications recognised for teaching at second level must successfully complete a recognised post-graduate primary conversion course. Unqualified personnel should only be employed in exceptional circumstances and when all avenues for recruiting qualified personnel have been exhausted. The letter of 8th November referred to by the Deputy was answered by my Private Secretary on 21st November.