Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he proposes to change the method by which newly qualified teachers are probated; if there is a timeline for any proposals which he proposes to implement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12062/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Access to the profession of teaching in recognised schools in Ireland is regulated. The Teaching Council is the designated Competent Authority for the regulation of the profession.

The Council requires that all primary teachers successfully complete probation in order to achieve full registration (registration without conditions). The Inspectorate of my Department evaluates the professional competence of primary teachers, in accordance with Circular 0058/2010, for the purposes of informing the Teaching Council's decisions regarding registration.

The Council requires that all post-primary teachers satisfactorily complete a period of post-qualification employment in order to achieve full registration (registration without conditions). The parameters surrounding this requirement are set down by the Council and involve principals of schools in verifying that the required conditions have been met.

In July 2010, the then Minister for Education and Skills wrote to the Teaching Council signaling that Section 7(2)(f) and Section 7(2)(g) of the Teaching Council Act 2001 will be commenced no later than 1 September 2012. The effect of this is that the Council will establish the procedures and criteria for the probation of teachers that the Council would wish to implement for primary and post-primary teachers following the commencement of these sections of the Act.

There are no plans to change current procedures for the probation of primary and post-primary teachers in advance of 1 September 2012.