Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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735. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she and her officials will intervene in cases in which teachers who previously qualified with the HDip are now returning to teaching and being asked to complete Droichead in order to register with the Teaching Council (details supplied). [30949/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority and responsibility for the registration of teachers. Section 7 of the Teaching Council Act provides for the Council to establish procedures in relation to the induction of teachers into the teaching profession.

The Council defines a “newly qualified teacher” or “NQT” as a teacher who meets the Council’s requirements in terms of qualifications, but who has not completed the required period of professional practice.

Upon registration with the Teaching Council, post-qualification professional practice is applied as a condition of registration to all primary and post-primary NQTs. Until recent years, the traditional route to fulfil this condition for primary teachers was ‘probation’ and for post primary teachers was ‘post-qualification employment (PQE)’.

The Droicheadprocess replaces these traditional processes of probation and PQE. The Droicheadpolicy was approved and implemented by Council on a phased based in 2016. It has been in its growth phase since 2016 and has been the sole route to induction for all NQTs since September 2020. Droicheadis an induction framework which supports the professional learning of NQTs during the induction phase. The Droichead process consists of school-based induction which is underpinned by reflective practice, mentoring and professional conversations and additional professional learning activities.

Since 1 June 2020, the condition of Droicheadhas been applied as a condition of registration to all primary and post-primary NQTs, regardless of the date of qualification. If, however teachers can provide evidence to show they have previously successfully completed the traditional processes of probation or PQE, the Droicheadcondition can be removed.

It is important to note that teachers registered with conditions are eligible to receive the fully qualified rate of pay, apply for and be appointed to permanent positions.

Also, to note thatDroicheadis not a newer version of the previously accredited programme of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) known as the Higher Diploma in Education. These programmes of ITE have been reconceptualised as the currently accredited two-year Professional Masters of Education programmes since 2012.

My Department understands that the Teaching Council are engaging directly with the teacher referred to by the Deputy.