Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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114. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when she will approve the intake numbers into both the bachelor of education and professional master of education for the next academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [57227/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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There are two routes recognised by the Teaching Council to become a primary teacher:

- A four-year undergraduate Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.) programme.

- A two-year post-graduate Professional Master of Education (PME) programme.

The undergraduate/B. Ed. model offers students who are beginning their tertiary education, and wish to pursue a career in teaching, an opportunity to acquire a teaching qualification. In the postgraduate/PME model, a teacher first obtains a qualification in one or more subjects (through an undergraduate degree), and then studies for a further period to gain the professional qualification in teaching.

There are four State-funded Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) providing primary initial teacher education (ITE). Each of these offers both a full time primary ITE undergraduate/B.Ed. and postgraduate/PME programme:

- DCU Institute of Education.

- Marino Institute of Education.

- Maynooth University (Froebel Department of Primary and Early Childhood Education)

- Mary Immaculate College

There is one private provider, Hibernia College, which provides postgraduate (PME) programmes only (primary and post-primary).

The number of students admitted to primary concurrent and consecutive programmes in State-funded HEIs is determined by my Department, having regard to teacher supply and demand issues, and available resources. I wish to advise the Deputy that I have approved the intake on the Primary Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) programme and Professional Master of Education (PME) programme for the 2022/23 academic year and the State-funded HEIs have been advised of this.