Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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541. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason that the MA programme for teachers was increased to two years; if this is having an impact on recruitment of teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54422/22]

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 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,

- adolescent learning and 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 ITE programmes for primary and 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.

It is acknowledged that there are challenges around the recruitment of teachers at present. However, programmes of initial teacher education remain oversubscribed and the change to the programme duration has not resulted in a lesser annual throughput of teachers through this route. There are no plans to reduce the current duration of the postgraduate ITE programmes to one year.