Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 405: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary teachers in each county who are undertaking probation in 2009; the arrangements in place to ensure that those teachers receive the opportunity to undergo probation before the end of the school year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19621/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Details of the service and professional requirements for probation of primary teachers are outlined in my Department's Circular 0140/2006 which is available on my Department's website. Schools are advised in June each year to notify the Department of teachers who may be eligible for probation. A series of dates is nominated for submission of applications: round 1 by the end of June; round 2 by the middle of September; round 3 by the beginning of November; and round 4 by the middle of January.

With regard to the 2008/9 year, the current position is that 2,465 teachers who registered for probation during rounds 1,2 and 3 have been deemed eligible. The completion of probation is subject to both service and professional requirements. All eligible teachers who registered for probation by November 7th 2008 will have the opportunity of completing the professional aspect of the probationary process by the end of the current school year. The majority of these teachers will also fulfil the service requirement of 178 days and, where both professional and service requirements have been satisfactorily met, the teacher will be deemed probated.

For those teachers who satisfactorily meet the professional requirements in the current school year but do not meet the service requirement, it will be necessary to gain further experience during the coming school year. In these cases, the teacher will be deemed probated on the date on which the service requirement is met.

There are 96 teachers who registered for probation after November 7th 2008 who will not have an opportunity of completing the professional aspect of the probationary process in the current school year. These teachers will be given priority in the coming school year. While awaiting the completion of the professional aspect of the process, all service given in the current school year will be credited toward meeting the service requirement of the process.

A breakdown by county of the numbers of teachers undergoing probation in the current school year follows.