Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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There are 5 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) providing primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in Ireland; four State-funded providers and one private provider.

Each of the State-funded providers have both concurrent (undergraduate) and consecutive (postgraduate) programmes:

- DCU Institute of Education;

- Marino Institute of Education;

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

- Mary Immaculate College.

The number of students admitted to primary concurrent (B.Ed) and consecutive programmes (PME) in State-funded HEIs each year is determined by my Department, having regard to teacher supply, demand issues and available resources. The intake has remained broadly stable over the past number of years.

Hibernia College is a privately owned institution which provides a primary consecutive (postgraduate) ITE programme only. My Department has no involvement in setting the numbers for Hibernia.

The annual approved intake per year across the four state-funded institutions for the past five years is set out in the following table.