Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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290. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if an individual who sat their Leaving Certificate in 2014 and received a C3 in Gaeilge would be permitted to undertake the primary school teaching degree with a college (details supplied) considering that in 2014, a C3 in Gaeilge was the requirement to study primary teaching, but that grade has now increased to a minimum C2; if the fact the individual received the necessary grade at the time of their Leaving Certificate will still qualify them to proceed with their training; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52524/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish language is an integral part of the primary school curriculum and teachers are required to be competent in addressing this element of the curriculum, which is based on a communicative approach and places particular emphasis on developing children’s listening and speaking skills.

My Department specifies minimum entry requirements in core subjects: Maths, English and Irish for entry to primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes to ensure that primary teachers have the capacity to lead in these significant areas of student learning. The current Leaving Certificate entry requirement is a H4 in Irish.

All candidates, including school leavers, mature students and university graduates in all public and private higher education institutions (HEIs) accredited to provide ITE must hold the required level of Leaving Certificate Irish or an approved equivalent for entry to Primary ITE programmes.

The entry requirements increased for concurrent programmes from September 2019, and for consecutive programmes from September 2021, in all public and private HEIs. Between 2019 and 2020, the Teaching Council reviewed its policy on standards for programmes of ITE in advance of the second cycle of review and accreditation of programmes of ITE.

Feedback from this process was incorporated into the revised standards: Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education (2020). All new and existing programmes of ITE are now aligned with Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education, for first year intakes. The accreditation cycle under Céim, for existing programmes of ITE is being conducted between 2021 and 2023.

Teachers in primary schools must be qualified to teach the range of primary school subjects to children aged 4 to 12 years. Accordingly, applicants must demonstrate to the Teaching Council’s satisfaction that they are competent to teach the Irish language and to teach the range of primary school curricular subjects through the medium of Irish before being granted full recognition to teach in mainstream classes in primary schools.

This is clearly recognised in the Teaching Council’s Standards documentation, in terms of the standards set out for Irish at primary, against which programmes of initial teacher education are accredited. The new Teaching Council standards state that through all primary level ITE programmes, student teachers’ confidence and competence, in Irish, including oral Irish, needs to be developed to a sufficient level to enable them to teach the Gaeilge primary curriculum.

In this case, the individual concerned does not meet the current minimum entry requirement in Irish based on their Leaving Certificate from 2014. However, it is open to the individual to repeat the Leaving Certificate Examination or pursue a course of study leading to one of the alternative qualifications in Irish as outlined in recently published Professional Master of Education (Primary Teaching) Entry Requirements and Procedures for 2023. Link: gov.ie - How to qualify as a primary teacher (www.gov.ie)

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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291. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the Teaching Council recognises the International Postgraduate Certificate in Education with International Qualified Teacher Status through Coventry University, England to allow an individual to obtain primary teaching status in Ireland; whether the Oiriúnú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge or An Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge would be required to receive primary teaching status in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52526/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. The Teaching Council registers teachers under the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and in line with the Teaching Council Registration Regulations, 2016. .

The Council registers teachers under five routes of registration namely, Route 1 - Primary, Route 2 - Post-primary, Route 3 - Further Education, Route 4 - Other and Route 5 - Student Teacher. The minimum registration requirements for each route are set out in the Schedule of the Regulations.

In its role as a competent authority, the Teaching Council operates in accordance with the EU Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive (2005/36/EU as amended). As a statutory professional standards body, the Teaching Council is required by law to properly determine and to authenticate the relevant standards and qualifications of all applicants for registration. One of the ways the Council ensures and regulates standards is by ensuring that all teachers entering the profession in Ireland have met the required standards.

Fully qualified teachers who qualify from outside of the Republic of Ireland are eligible to apply for registration with the Teaching Council under the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations.

A fully qualified teacher from outside of the Republic of Ireland must hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS/licence to teach) and full registration (having met any post-qualification registration requirements of that country, e.g., teacher induction). All applications from teachers who qualify outside of Ireland are processed in line with EU Directive.

All applications from fully qualified teachers who qualify outside of the Republic of Ireland are assessed for comparability with graduates of Teaching Council accredited programmes of initial teacher education. All primary teachers are registered conditionally with the condition of the Irish Language Requirement.

Following a holistic assessment of teaching qualifications and relevant teaching experience, CPD, etc, any identified qualification shortfall(s) are added as a condition of registration. Teachers have three years from the date of conditional registration to address conditions via an aptitude test or an adaptation period.

The International Postgraduate Certificate in Education with International Qualified Teacher Status through Coventry University is a new addition to the spectrum of UK primary teaching qualifications and as such, the Teaching Council will have to consider each individual applicant who has undertaken this qualification on their own merits, since as provided for in the EU Directive other detail including relevant teaching experience, other undergraduate qualifications etc. can be taken in to account if relevant. On that basis and as the Council does not accredit programmes of Initial Teacher Education overseas as it does domestic programmes, the Council assesses each overseas application for admission to the register in the usual manner.