Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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368. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the options available to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33135/21]

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 regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State. 

The Teaching Council registers teachers in line with the requirements set out in the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016.

As set out in the Schedule of the Regulations, the Teaching Council registers teachers under four routes of registration: Primary, Post-primary, Further Education and Other. To be entered on the Register of Teachers under the Post-primary route, registrants are required to hold an accredited post-primary initial teacher education qualification in addition to holding a relevant qualification that meets the requirements for at least one post-primary curricular subject.

These registration requirements were previously set out in the Registration Regulations 2009 and applied in September 2014 when the teacher in question originally submitted an application for registration.

The Teaching Council inform me that where an applicant for registration does not hold an accredited post-primary initial teacher education qualification, Further Education is the only route of registration that can be offered. In order to be eligible for registration as a post-primary teacher, applicants need to complete an accredited initial teacher education qualification suitable for post-primary teaching and hold a qualification that meets the post-primary curricular subject requirements.

For the purposes of registration under the Post-primary route, it is not possible to take the teachers length of unqualified teaching experience into account in lieu of the required accredited initial teacher education qualification.

The person referred to by the Deputy should continue to liaise directly with the Teaching Council and follow their guidance regarding their registration.