Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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310. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills what consideration she has given to the condensing of the Professional Masters of Education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16324/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Professional Master of Education (PME) is a two-year, full-time Level 9 postgraduate professional teacher education programme designed to qualify graduates as primary & post-primary teachers.

Changes to the duration and content of initial teacher education 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 accreditation standards.

What had been the ‘H-Dip’ of 18 months at primary and 1 year at post-primary became the two-year Professional Master of Education for both. The standards were arrived at following extensive research and consultation with regard to the programme that would be required in order to develop the skills, knowledge, understanding, and professional values expected of newly qualified teachers.

The reforms were focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools, which is central to the educational outcomes of children. The extended duration allowed for substantial periods of school placement and a number of mandatory elements in all programmes including literacy and numeracy and ICT in teaching and learning.

These standards were recently updated by the Council in Céim (2020) which reaffirms that post-graduate ITE programmes shall be a minimum of two years’ duration.

The extensive nature of curriculum and assessment reforms over the past decade, the more complex legislative and regulatory context within which teachers and schools operate, expanded pedagogical approaches and a focus on learner-centred processes have resulted in evolving demands on teachers to reach and demonstrate high professional standards. The requirements for ITE are a significant factor in the high quality of our teaching profession in Ireland, which is recognised at home and abroad.

It is acknowledged that there are challenges around the availability of teachers at present. While there are currently no plans to reduce the duration of the postgraduate ITE programmes to one year, the Department’s ongoing approach is to continue to develop further innovative measures to improve the availability of teachers.

Budget 2024 contains a range of measures that demonstrate the Department’s commitment to continued investment in our education system. In addition to numerous actions that have been taken in recent years to address teacher supply, a number of specific, targeted measures will be introduced with new funding provided, including a PME incentive scheme.

This PME incentive scheme will be introduced for newly qualified teachers graduating in 2024. Those newly qualified teachers who graduate with a PME will, subject to some conditions, be eligible for an incentive payment of up to €2,000. This incentive payment will be paid to eligible primary and post-primary teachers in 2025.

This will recognise the costs that PME students incur when completing their initial teacher education, assist them with these costs and encourage suitable candidates to consider a career in teaching. The aim of the incentive is to encourage more graduates to consider a career in teaching and to encourage future NQTs with PMEs to take up teaching roles in Ireland after graduating.

Further details of this incentive scheme will be announced in the coming months.