Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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456. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are plans to shorten current two year-long professional masters in education courses to one year; if consideration has been given to reintroducing the equivalent higher diploma (Hdip); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51590/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Changes to the duration and content of all initial teacher education (ITE) programmes were made in response to recommendations in the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among children and Young People 2011-2020 and were incorporated into the Teaching Council’s Policy Paper on the Continuum of Teacher Education and Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers.

The changes made to post graduate ITE programmes included the reconfiguration of their content and an increase in their duration to two years. The increase in duration allows for substantial periods of school placement, which is central to student teacher development, and a number of mandatory elements such as Literacy and Numeracy, Adolescent Learning and Teaching, Learning and Assessment.

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, behaviour management, inclusive education (special education, multiculturalism, disadvantage, etc) and ICT in teaching and learning. These reforms are focused on improving the quality of teaching in our schools, which is central to the educational outcomes of our children.

The changes made to the content and duration of the initial teacher education programmes for Post Primary teaching are in line with the aims of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy and aim to ensure that newly qualified teachers are better equipped for the needs of modern-day classroom.

The Minister supports these changes and has no plans to reduce the duration of the postgraduate Initial Teacher Education programmes to one year.