Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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57. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide on update on proposed changes to education degrees and postgraduate teaching courses. [20487/14]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Recommendations for changes to initial teacher education were included in the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020. These recommendations are reflected in the Teaching Council's Policy Paper on the Continuum of Teacher Education and Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers (2011).

Improvements which have been made to initial teacher education courses include the reconfiguration of the content and duration of courses, with the duration of concurrent ITE programmes set at a minimum of four years while the postgraduate programmes of teacher education will take place over two years, thereby facilitating an innovative reconceptualisation of programmes. The lengthened and reconfigured programmes include substantial periods of school placement as central to student teacher development and a number of mandatory elements including literacy and numeracy, teaching, learning and assessment including school and classroom planning, differentiation, behavior management, inclusive education (special education, multiculturalism, disadvantage, etc) and ICT in teaching and learning.

Reconfigured and extended B.Ed programmes for primary teaching commenced in September 2012. Reconfigured concurrent programmes for post-primary teaching commenced in September 2013. Reconfigured and extended post-graduate programmes for both primary and post-primary teachers are due to commence in September 2014.