Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to implement the recommendation made recently to him that teacher training will cease in colleges (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41583/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I have accepted the recommendations set out in a report commissioned by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on the structures of initial teacher education. The purpose of the report, which I requested, was to identify new possible structures to improve initial teacher education in Ireland so that it is comparable with the best in the world.

The international panel of education experts recommended that teacher education be provided in six "centres for teacher education". Currently there are 19 state funded providers of ITE (and three non-state funded) offering more than 40 college programmes in primary and post-primary teaching. The new collaborations recommended by the international panel will mean that a smaller number of centres for ITE exist, but that they offer education across multiple sectors from early childhood to primary, to post primary to adult education. These centres for teacher education will also possess a critical mass in terms of research capacity which is not always possible in smaller institutions. The new configurations will mean strong research bases can be created in each centre.

I have asked the HEA to submit a detailed report, before the end of the year, on how to implement the recommendations of the Panel. It is too early at present to set out plans for individual colleges. I will consider the implementation plan from the HEA, when received.