Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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235. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to extend the Teaching Council (Registration) (Amendment) Regulation 2023 which enables primary and post-primary teachers who qualified outside of Ireland to apply to register as a teacher here, so as to mitigate against teacher supply challenges. [41055/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of Teachers in the State.

The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015. There are five routes of registration with the Teaching Council which are namely Route 1: Primary, Route 2: Post-primary, Route 3: Further Education, Route 4: Other and Route 5: Student Teacher. The registration requirements for each route is set out in the Teaching Council [Registration] Regulations 2016. My Department has no role in the registration of individual teachers.

Under the current legislative provision, applications for registration under the Teaching Council (Registration) (Amendment) Regulation, 2023 will close on 1 February 2024.

As such, from 1 February 2024, applicants for registration who qualified out of state will be required to apply for registration under the standard application process for out of state qualified teachers. They will be required to provide evidence of being a fully qualified teacher, including evidence of having completed induction in the country of qualification.

A further Statutory Instrument would be required to establish the Teaching Council (Registration) (Amendment) Regulation for a longer period, which under the Teaching Council Act is a matter for the Council.

The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).

In accordance with Department Circulars 0044/2019 (primary) and 0031/2011 (post primary), schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers and ensure that unemployed teachers should be offered employment in preference to those who have retired. These measures were taken in an effort to increase employment opportunities for unemployed teachers.